θεωρία

Forms

θεωρῐ́ᾱ (theōríā) f (genitive θεωρῐ́ᾱς); first declension^[1] Ionic θεωρίη (theōríē), Doric θεᾱρίᾱ (theāríā) (Pindar), Boeotian θιαωρία (thiaōría).^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek θεωρός (theōrós, “spectator; envoy to a festival or oracle”) + -ία (-íā).^[1][4][5] The noun θεωρός (theōrós) is properly “one who watches a show”, from θέα (théā, “sight, spectacle”) and the root of ὁράω (horáō, “to see”), Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to observe”); ⟨εω⟩ arose by quantitative metathesis.^[4][6] Koller's link with θεός (theós, “god”) is implausible, in Beekes' view.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound, where it means a sight or spectacle.^[2][3][7] In the 5th century BC it also meant the sending of θεωροί, envoys to an oracle or to the games, or the embassy itself, and being a spectator at the theatre or the games.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Herodotus uses it of travelling to see the world, going abroad “for the sake of θεωρίη”.^[2][3] Thucydides, Isocrates and Plato use it of attendance at a festival and of the official delegation sent to one, such as the mission to Delos in Plato's Phaedo.^[2][3] Aristophanes personifies the festival spectacle in the Peace.^[2]

In Plato it became the viewing of the mind, contemplation and study.^[2][3][5] Beekes notes that the sense “theory” is not found until after Aristotle, and developed from the contemplation of a Form.^[4] Polybius uses it of theory as opposed to practice.^[4][2][3] In Luke's Gospel it is the spectacle that the crowds had gathered to watch.^[8]

In medieval Greek it meant a view or sight, and also had the forms θωρία and θωριά (thoriá).^[9] Modern Greek θεωρία (theoría) is a learned word for “theory”, partly modelled on French théorie and English theory, which go back through Medieval Latin to the Hellenistic sense; an older use means an imposing appearance.^[10] English theory comes through Late Latin theoria and is first recorded in the 1590s.^[6]

Timeline

• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses it of a sight or spectacle.^[2][3]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it of travelling to see the world, Sophocles of attending a festival, and Thucydides of a festival embassy.^[2][3]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it of the mind's contemplation.^[2][3]
• 2nd century BC – Polybius uses it of theory as opposed to practice.^[2][3]
• 1st century AD – Luke's Gospel uses it of a spectacle watched by crowds.^[8]
• 1590s – English borrows it as theory, through Late Latin.^[6]
• Modern Greek – The learned θεωρία (theoría) means “theory”.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. The sending of envoys to an oracle or a festival; the embassy itself; the office of such an envoy.^[2][3]
2. Attendance at a festival; being a spectator at the theatre or the games.^[2][3]
3. Viewing, sightseeing; travel to see the world; a pilgrimage.^[2][3]
4. A sight, spectacle; a public show.^[2][3][8]
5. Viewing with the mind: contemplation, consideration, study.^[2][3]
6. Theory, speculation, as opposed to practice.^[2][3]

Related words

• θεώρημα (theṓrēma)
• θεωρικός (theōrikós)
• θεωρός (theōrós)
• θεωρέω (theōréō)
• θέα (théā)
• Latin theōria
• English theory

References

1. ^ a b c d e 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 q r Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
4. ^ a b c d e f Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
6. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
8. ^ a b c Bauer, Walter; Danker, Frederick W., et al. (2000), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., Chicago: University of Chicago Press
9. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
10. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki