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myth

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /mɪθ/[1]

Etymology

It is from French mythe (1818) and directly Modern Latin mythus,[2][3][4] from Greek μῦθος (mûthos, “speech, word, story, myth”),[2][3] a word of unknown origin, which Beekes finds quite possibly Pre-Greek.[2][3] It is partly a back-formation from the earlier mythology and mythical.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A fictitious narrative involving supernatural persons: 1830.[3][5][2]

Semantic evolution

The form mythus, used by Coleridge in 1825 and later by Carlyle, Trench and Thackeray, never became established and gave way to myth.[3] An untrue or popular tale, a rumour, is from 1840,[5] and a fictitious person or thing from 1849.[5] Etymonline quotes Simpson and Roud's distinction: myths are stories about divine beings, revered as true and sacred and linked to religion, and when the actors are no longer gods but heroes or fairies the story becomes a folktale.[2] Mythical is from 1678,[3] and mythology, an exposition of myths, from the 15th century.[4]

Timeline

  • 15th century – mythology.[4]
  • 1678 – mythical.[3]
  • 1825 – mythus, in Coleridge.[3]
  • 1830 – myth.[3]
  • 1840 – an untrue tale.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A traditional story about gods, heroes or ancestors that explains natural events or the customs of a people.
  2. A widely held but false belief.
  3. A person or thing whose existence is imaginary or unproven.

Word family

  • mythical
  • mythicize
  • mythify
  • mythmaker
  • mytho-
  • mythologem
  • mythological
  • mythology
  • mythic
  • mythos

Usage notes

Obsolete homographs in the OED are myth, gentle (about 1320), and myth, to show or mark (14th–15th century).[5] In Selkirkshire Scots myth meant marrow.[6]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)