lyceum

Pronunciation

• IPA: /laɪˈsiːəm/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin Lyceum,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Ancient Greek Λύκειον (Lúkeion), the name of a grove and gymnasium outside Athens where Aristotle taught.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} The place was named from the neuter of Lúkeios, an epithet of Apollo, whose temple stood nearby.^[3][4][5][6] The epithet was probably understood as “wolfish” or “wolf-slayer”, from lúkos “wolf”.^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The garden at Athens where Aristotle taught, and so his school of philosophy (1579–80).^[3][7]

Semantic evolution

A Lyceum founded in Paris in 1786 for lectures gave the name to many literary institutions in England in the early 19th century.^[7][5] From 1820 in the U.S. a lyceum was an association providing public lectures and concerts, or the hall where they were held.^[7][2][5] The word was also used for a French lycée (1827).^[7][2]

Timeline

• 1579–80 – the garden at Athens where Aristotle taught.^[3][7]
• 1786 – an institution for lectures.^[7][5]
• 1820 – an American association for public lectures.^[7]
• 1827 – a lycée.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A hall for public lectures, concerts and similar events.
2. An association that sponsors public lectures and entertainments.
3. A lycée, or a similar secondary school.

Proper noun

1. The gymnasium near ancient Athens where Aristotle taught.

Related words

• lycée
• academy
• lycanthropy

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press