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technological

Etymology and origin of the English word technological

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1627
Ultimate origin
English (technology)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˌtɛk.nəˈlɒdʒ.ɪ.kəl/ (UK); /ˌtɛk.nəˈlɑ.dʒɪ.kəl/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is from technology with the suffix -ical.[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Belonging to technical terminology or methods: 1627 in the OED, the 1620s in Etymonline.[5][2]

Semantic evolution

Relating to the study of the arts, especially the industrial arts, is from 1800,[5][2][3] and pertaining to or resulting from technology in the modern sense by 1930.[2][5] Technologically is a derivative.[2]

Timeline

  • 1627 – of technical terms.[5]
  • 1800 – of the industrial arts.[5]
  • 1930 – of technology.[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Relating to or involving technology, especially scientific technology.
  2. Resulting from scientific and industrial progress.

Word family

  • technologically
  • antitechnological
  • nontechnological
  • pretechnological
  • sociotechnological
  • technological unemployment

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 Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Technological.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/technological. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·