sinopsis

Forms

sinopsis f (plural sinopsis)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin synopsis (“general view; list”), which is from Ancient Greek σύνοψις (súnopsis, “a seeing all together, general view”).^[2][1][3] The Greek noun is formed from σύν (sún, “with, together”) and ὄψις (ópsis, “sight, view”).^[2][4][1] Corominas takes the Spanish word straight from Greek, and so did the Academy's dictionary of 1884.^[5][6]

In Latin the word meant a general view or survey and for an inventory of goods.^[7][8] The same word is Catalan sinopsi, Portuguese sinopse, French synopsis and Italian sinossi.^[9][10][11]

Earliest recorded meaning

The CDH's first clear record is in Rodrigo Caro (before 1647), who wishes to make a short sinopsis o catálogo “synopsis or catalogue” of the learned men of Seville.^[12] Its two earlier hits, in Alfonso de Palencia (1490) and Nebrija (1495), are a different word: the red earth of Sinope used as a dye, glossed with bermellón.^[12]

Semantic evolution

In the 18th century the word was still often spelt synopsis and felt as Greek: Sarmiento lists it beside trópico and liturgia among pure Greek words.^[12] Terreros defined it as a kind of table of the contents of a work, and the Academy's dictionaries of 1843 and 1869 as a compendium or summary.^[13][14][15] The current dictionary puts first the graphic layout that lets related things be seen together, then the general outline of a subject and the summary.^[2] Vox notes its use for the summary of a novel, film or play, and in Uruguay for a film trailer.^[16] The adjective sinóptico, from Greek synoptikós, is recorded from 1884.^[5][3]

Timeline

• 1647 – Rodrigo Caro writes of a breve sinopsis o catálogo (before that year).^[12]
• 1740 – Feijoo cites a Synopsis geográphica.^[12]
• 1758 – José Francisco de Isla lists sinopsis among dictionaries, compendiums and epitomes.^[12]
• 1786–1793 – Terreros defines it as an index of the contents of a work.^[13]
• 1832 – the BDELC's first date.^[5]
• 1843 – the Academy's dictionary records it as “compendium or summary”.^[14]
• 1884 – the Academy's dictionary gives the Greek etymology.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. A diagram or chart that shows related things so that they can be seen together.^[2]
2. A general account of a subject that gives only its main lines; an outline.^[2][4]
3. A summary, especially of the plot of a novel, film or play: La contraportada trae una sinopsis de la novela.^[2][16]
4. (Uruguay) A film trailer.^[16]

Related words

• sinóptico
• óptico
• Latin synopsis
• Portuguese sinopse

Usage notes

The word is feminine and has the same form in the plural: las sinopsis.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Real Academia Española; Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2014–), Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed., online version 23.8, https://dle.rae.es, p. s.v. sinopsis
3. ^ a b Gómez de Silva, Guido (1988), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua española, México: Fondo de Cultura Económica / El Colegio de México, p. s.v. sinopsis
4. ^ a b Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. sinopsis
5. ^ a b c Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. óptico
6. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1884), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 12th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Gregorio Hernando (the first Academy edition with etymologies), p. 979
7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. synopsis
8. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. synopsis
9. ^ Alcover, Antoni M.; Moll, Francesc de B. (1930–1962), Diccionari català-valencià-balear, 10 vols., Palma de Mallorca: Moll, p. s.v. sinopsi
10. ^ Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. sinopse
11. ^ Echegaray, Eduardo de (1887–1889), Diccionario general etimológico de la lengua española, 5 vols., Madrid: José María Faquineto, p. 344
12. ^ a b c d e f Real Academia Española (2013–), Corpus del Diccionario histórico de la lengua española (CDH), version 3.1, https://apps.rae.es/CNDHE, p. s.v. sinopsis
13. ^ a b Terreros y Pando, Esteban de (1786–1793), Diccionario castellano con las voces de ciencias y artes y sus correspondientes de las tres lenguas francesa, latina e italiana, 4 vols., Madrid: Viuda de Ibarra, p. 3, 501
14. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1843), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 9th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Francisco María Fernández, p. 669
15. ^ Real Academia Española (1869), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 11th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de Don Manuel Rivadeneyra, p. 715
16. ^ a b c Battaner Arias, Paz (dir.) (2017), Diccionario general de la lengua española VOX, Barcelona: Larousse Editorial, p. s.v. sinopsis