Etymologically
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zodiac

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈzəʊ.dɪˌæk/ (UK); /ˈzoʊ.diˌæk/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English zodiak,[2][3] borrowed from Old French zodiaque and directly borrowed from Latin zōdiacus,[4][2][3][5] from Ancient Greek ζῳδιακός (zōidiakós, “of the figures”), short for ζῳδιακὸς κύκλος (zōidiakòs kýklos, “circle of figures”),[4][2][3][6] from ζῴδιον (zṓidion, “sculptured or painted figure; sign of the zodiac”), a diminutive of ζῷον (zôion, “animal, living being”),[4][2][3][5][7] from Proto-Indo-European *gʷei- (“to live”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A belt of the heavens on either side of the ecliptic, within which the sun, moon and planets appear to move, divided into twelve signs (1390 in the OED; 1391 in Barnhart).[8][2][3]

Semantic evolution

Since many of the constellations that mark its twelve divisions are animals, the name means “circle of little animals”.[6][3] Libra is not an animal, but the Greeks counted eleven signs, treating Scorpio and its claws as one double constellation; the Romans restored Libra.[3] In Old English the zodiac was twelf tacna, “the twelve signs”.[3] By about 1391 the word also meant a figure or diagram of the zodiac.[8] From the 16th century it was used figuratively of a year, a recurring round, a range, or a set of twelve.[8]

Timeline

  • 1390 – the zodiacal belt and its signs.[8][2]
  • c. 1391 – a figure of the zodiac.[8]
  • c. 1560 – a year; the calendar (obsolete).[8]
  • 1560 – a set of twelve.[8]
  • 1576 – zodiacal.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. An imaginary band of the celestial sphere extending about 8° on each side of the ecliptic, within which the sun, moon and principal planets appear to move.
  2. (astrology) This band divided into twelve equal parts, the signs, each named after a constellation.
  3. A diagram or figure representing the zodiac and its signs.
  4. A complete circuit or cyclic course.

Word family

  • zodiacal
  • zodiacal light
  • sign of the zodiac

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Book of Word Histories, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press