φιλολογία

Forms

φῐλολογῐ́ᾱ (philologíā) f (genitive φῐλολογῐ́ᾱς); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Ancient Greek φιλόλογος (philólogos, “fond of words, of learning”) with the abstract suffix -ία (-ía),^[1][2] and so ultimately from φίλος (phílos) and λόγος (lógos).^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plato's Theaetetus and Isocrates' Antidosis, of the 5th–4th century BC, are the earliest texts with the word: in Plato it is the love of argument and discussion, in Isocrates the love of learning.^[5][6][7]

Semantic evolution

The classical sense was a fondness for discussion, especially philosophical discussion,^[6] and Antigonus of Carystus uses it for learned conversation, and Bailly records the sense of mere talkativeness.^[6][5][2] From Isocrates and Aristotle on, and then in Plutarch and Epictetus, it meant the love of learning and literature, scholarship in general.^[5][6][8] Cicero uses the Greek word in a letter.^[5]

Latin borrowed it as philologia, “love of letters, literary culture”, and English philology comes from Latin in the late 14th century.^[9][4] Modern Greek φιλολογία (filología) is a learned word: its modern senses, the science of a people's language and literature and the study of texts, follow French philologie.^[10][11]

Timeline

• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it for the love of argument, and Isocrates for the love of learning.^[5][6][12]
• 4th century BC – A book of the Aristotelian Problems bears it in its title, in the sense of literary study.^[5][2][12]
• 1st–2nd century AD – Plutarch uses it for scholarship and literary learning.^[5][6][12]
• Late 14th century – English borrows philology through Latin.^[4]
• Modern Greek – The learned word φιλολογία (filología) takes the modern senses of French philologie.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. Love of argument or discussion, especially philosophical.^[5][6]
2. Learned conversation; also mere talkativeness.^[5][2]
3. Love of learning and literature; scholarship.^[5][6][8]
4. A dissertation on a literary or learned subject.^[2][13]

Word family

• φιλόλογος (philólogos)
• φιλολογέω (philologéō)

Related words

• φίλος (phílos)
• λόγος (lógos)
• Latin philologia
• English philology

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Bailly, Anatole (2020), Dictionnaire grec-français, Bailly 2020 Hugo Chávez ed., ed. Gérard Gréco et al.
3. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, online ed., https://www.koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
7. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
8. ^ a b Pape, Wilhelm (1914), Griechisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 3rd ed., rev. Max Sengebusch, Braunschweig: Vieweg
9. ^ Saalfeld, Günther Alexander (1874), Index Graecorum vocabulorum in linguam latinam translatorum, Berlin: Weidmann
10. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
11. ^ Ακαδημία Αθηνών (2014), Χρηστικό Λεξικό της Νεοελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Academy of Athens
12. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
13. ^ Malhadas, Daisi; Dezotti, Maria Celeste C.; Neves, Maria Helena de Moura, eds. (2006–2010), Dicionário Grego-Português, São Paulo: Ateliê; digital ed. 3 (2022), UNESP Araraquara