θεώρημα

Forms

θεώρημᾰ (theṓrēma) n (genitive θεωρήμᾰτος); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Ancient Greek θεωρέω (theōréō, “to look at, contemplate”) with the suffix -μα (-ma).^[1][2] The verb comes from θεωρός (theōrós), a spectator or envoy to a festival, which Beekes explains as “one who watches a show”, *θεᾱϝορός (*theāworós), from θέα (théa, “sight”) and the root of ὁράω (horáō, “to see”).^[2] The meanings “theory, theoretical” only developed after Aristotle, from the contemplation of a Form.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plato's Laws uses it for spectacles of the Muses, and Demosthenes for public shows.^[3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

Aristotle uses it for an object of contemplation, a vision in dreams, a speculation or theory, a subject for inquiry, and in mathematics a theorem.^[3][4] Archimedes and the later geometers made “theorem” the standard technical sense.^[3] Polybius uses it for a scheme or plan and, in the plural, for arts and sciences; for Galen the arts are made of θεωρήματα, their rules.^[3][4] Early Christian writing uses it for something seen, a vision.^[6]

Medieval vernacular Greek had a form θώρημα (thórima), “sight, glance”;^[7] in Modern Greek θεώρημα (theórima) is a learned word for a theorem, a proposition to be proved.^[8][9]

Timeline

• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it for spectacles.^[3][4]
• 4th century BC – Demosthenes uses it for shows, and Aristotle for objects of contemplation, theories and theorems.^[3][4]
• 3rd century BC – Archimedes uses it for a mathematical theorem.^[3]
• 2nd century BC – Polybius uses it for a plan and for the arts and sciences.^[3][4]
• Modern Greek – It is a learned word for a theorem.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. A sight, spectacle, show; generally, a festival.^[3][4]
2. An object of contemplation; a vision.^[3][6]
3. Speculation, theory; a speculative proposition.^[3][4]
4. (mathematics) A theorem.^[3][4]
5. A subject of investigation, a topic.^[3][4]
6. A rule of an art; a scheme or plan; in the plural, arts and sciences, theoretical knowledge.^[3][4]

Related words

• θεωρία (theōríā)
• θεωρός (theōrós)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
5. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
6. ^ a b 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
7. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
8. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
9. ^ Πάπυρος–Larousse–Britannica, Μέγα Λεξικό της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Πάπυρος