synthétique

Forms

synthétique (plural synthétiques)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek συνθετικός (sunthetikós, “skilled in putting together, composing”),^[2][3][1] from σύνθετος (súnthetos, “composed, made of several parts”), from συντίθημι (suntíthēmi, “to put together”).^[3][4][5] It belongs with synthèse.^[2][6] The rarer adjective synthésique is recorded in 1874.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1602, in Fougerolle's French translation of Diogenes Laertius, meaning “relating to synthesis”, at first in logic.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The word was rare before the 18th century.^[3] Through translations of Kant from German, jugement synthétique came to mean a judgement that joins subject and predicate and can be true only with respect to the facts, as opposed to an analytic one.^[3][7] It was then used in the sciences, and of minds able to grasp things as a whole (esprit synthétique, 1837, Sand).^[2][3][8] In linguistics langue synthétique follows August Wilhelm Schlegel's term, and is recorded in French in 1877.^[2]

In chemistry it was used from 1866 of what concerns chemical synthesis, and, from 1931, of materials produced by synthesis rather than taken from a natural substance, a sense that passed into everyday use, as in textiles; the noun followed in the 20th century.^[3][2] Etymonline traces the English word synthetic (1690s) to the French word and directly to Modern Latin.^[9]

Timeline

• 1602 – First record, in Fougerolle's translation of Diogenes Laertius.^[2]
• 1725 – The adverb synthétiquement is recorded.^[2]
• 1837 – George Sand writes esprit synthétique.^[2][8]
• 1841 – Comte uses it of a person with a mind for synthesis.^[2]
• 1866 – First use in chemistry.^[2][3]
• 1877 – Darmesteter records its use in linguistics.^[2]
• 1924 – First record as a noun.^[2]
• 1931 – Used of materials produced by synthesis.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Resulting from or constituting a synthesis, as opposed to analytic: une démarche synthétique.^[7][10][11]
2. (logic, philosophy) Of a judgement: joining subject and predicate, true only with respect to the facts.^[7]
3. Taking in the whole of something: une vue synthétique.^[7][11]
4. (linguistics) Of a language: tending to combine several morphemes in one word.^[11][4]
5. Produced by chemical synthesis, artificial: une fibre synthétique.^[7][10][11]
6. Of a mind: able to grasp things as a whole.^[10][2]

Noun

1. Synthetic material, especially a synthetic textile.^[10][2]

Word family

• synthétiquement

Related words

• synthèse
• synthétiser
• analytique
• Ancient Greek συνθετικός (sunthetikós)
• English synthetic

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
9. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
11. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)