logo

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈləʊ.ɡəʊ/ (UK); /ˈloʊ.ɡoʊ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is probably a shortening of logogram, a sign standing for a word, or of logotype,^[2][3][4][5] both formed from Ancient Greek λόγος (lógos, “word”) (see logic).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A trademark or other emblem of a company: 1937.^[2][3][6][7]

Semantic evolution

Logogram, a sign for a word, is from 1840, in Pitman's Manual of Phonography, and logotype, a piece of type bearing a word or several letters, from before 1816.^[2] The AHD notes that a logo was originally borne on a single printing plate or piece of type.^[8] Logo, with a capital, is also a programming language for teaching children, from 1976.^[6][8]

Timeline

• before 1816 – logotype.^[2]
• 1840 – logogram.^[2]
• 1937 – logo.^[2][6]
• 1976 – the Logo programming language.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A name, symbol or trademark designed to identify a company or product.

Related words

• logotype
• logogram
• logic
• logos

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
8. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin