Etymologically
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σχῆμα

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /skʰɛ̂ː.ma/[1]
  • IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /ˈsçi.ma/[1]
  • IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /ˈsçi.ma/[1]

Forms

σχῆμᾰ (skhêma) n (genitive σχήμᾰτος); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *skʰḗmə, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *sǵʰ-éh₁-mn̥, formed from the zero grade of *seǵʰ- (“to hold”).[1] Within Greek it corresponds to ἔχω (ékhō, “to have, hold”) and its aorist σχεῖν (skheîn) with the suffix -μα (-ma).[1][2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first recorded use is in a fragment of the epic Titanomachy (7th century BC).[4] Aeschylus speaks of “the figure and great form of Hippomedon” (Seven against Thebes 488).[2][4]

Semantic evolution

From the 5th century BC it is form and shape (Euripides, Aristophanes, Plato), set by Plato against colour.[3][2] Of people it is appearance, bearing and mien (Herodotus, tragedy), and in Thucydides and Plato a mere show or pretence.[3] It also meant dignity and pomp, a manner or way, a character or persona, and a kind.[1] In the plural it was the figures of a dance, and it also meant a sketch or plan.[1]

Latin borrowed it as schema.[5][1] Medieval Latin schema “figure of speech; posture in dancing” gave English scheme in the 1550s, and the Kantian schema was taken directly from Greek in 1796.[6] Modern Greek σχήμα “shape, form” is learned; its sense “format” is a semantic loan from Italian or German, and its sense “form” one from French.[7]

Timeline

  • 7th century BC – The Titanomachy uses it.[4]
  • 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses it for a warrior's figure.[2][8]
  • 5th century BC – Thucydides uses it for a pretence.[3][8]
  • 5th–4th century BC – Plato sets shape against colour.[3][8]
  • 1550s – English borrows scheme, a figure of speech.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Form, shape, figure.[2][3]
  2. Appearance, bearing, mien.[3][1]
  3. Show, pretence; outward guise.[3]
  4. Dignity, pomp.[1]
  5. Fashion, manner, way; a character, persona.[1]
  6. (plural) Figures of a dance.[1]
  7. A sketch, outline, plan.[1]
  • ἀσχήμων (askhḗmōn)
  • Latin schema
  • English scheme
  • English schema

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e 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 Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  4. ^ a b c Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
  5. ^ Saalfeld, Günther Alexander (1874), Index Graecorum vocabulorum in linguam latinam translatorum, Berlin: Weidmann
  6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
  8. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge