philology

Pronunciation

• IPA: /fɪˈlɒl.ə.d͡ʒɪ/ (UK); /fɪˈlɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English philologie,^[2][3][4] borrowed from Latin philologia (“love of learning and literature”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Ancient Greek φιλολογία (philología, “love of discussion, learning and literature”),^[2][3][4] from philólogos “fond of learning or of words”,^[2][3][4][5] from Ancient Greek φιλο- (philo-, “loving”) + λόγος (lógos, “word, speech”).^[2][3][4] The modern sense was reborrowed in the 17th century from French philologie.^[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The love of learning and literature, or the personification of linguistic and literary knowledge (c. 1386 in the OED; about 1395 in Barnhart).^[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

In Greek the word meant love of discussion, then of learning and literature.^[4] English took up the sense “study of literature in a wide sense, including grammar and criticism” in the early 17th century (1612–14).^[3][5][7] The sense “science of language” is recorded from 1716,^[7][3][4] but in the United States the word linguistics is preferred for this.^[4] Today philology usually means the study of old texts and their languages.^[6][1]

Timeline

• c. 1386 – love of learning and literature.^[7][3]
• 1594 – philologue, a linguist.^[3]
• 1612 – the study of literature (Merriam-Webster).^[5]
• 1648 – philologist.^[3]
• 1716 – the science of language.^[7][3][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The study of literary texts and written records, establishing their authenticity, original form and meaning; also, classical scholarship.
2. Historical and comparative linguistics.
3. (obsolete) The love of learning and literature.

Word family

• philologer
• philologically
• philological
• philologist

Related words

• linguistics
• etymology
• philosophy
• logos

References

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