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theosophy

Etymology and origin of the English word theosophy

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /θɪˈɒsəfɪ/ (UK)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Medieval Latin theosophia,[2][3][4][5][6] from Ancient Greek θεοσοφία (theosophía, “wisdom concerning God or divine things”),[2][3][4][6] from theósophos “wise about God”,[3][4] from Ancient Greek θεός (theós, “god”) + σοφία (sophía, “wisdom”).[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Any system that bases knowledge of nature on mystical knowledge of the divine nature (1650; 1640s in Etymonline, implied in theosophical).[3][4][5][7]

Semantic evolution

The Medieval Latin word was used by Scotus Erigena.[4] In English it was applied to various systems, including the movement of Swedenborg's followers.[4] From 1881 it named the system of the Theosophical Society, founded in New York in 1875 by Helena Blavatsky and others,[3][4][7] which drew on Hinduism and Buddhism.[2][3][4][5]

Timeline

  • 1640s – theosophical.[4]
  • 1650 – mystical knowledge of God and nature.[3][5][7]
  • 1875 – the Theosophical Society founded.[2][4]
  • 1881 – the system of the Theosophical Society.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Religious philosophy or speculation based on mystical insight into the nature of God.
  2. (often capitalized) The teachings of the Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, which draw on Buddhism and Brahmanism, especially on reincarnation.

Word family

  • theosophic
  • theosophically
  • theosophist
  • theosophical
  • theosophism
  • philosophy
  • theodicy
  • theology
  • theophany
  • sophist

References

  1. ^ 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 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 k 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 Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Theosophy.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/theosophy. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·