Etymologically
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musica

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈmuː.sɪ.ka][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈmuː.s̬i.ka][1]

Forms

mūsica f (genitive mūsicae); first declension[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek μουσική (mousikḗ, “art of the Muses”), short for the Greek phrase for “the art of the Muses”, from Μοῦσα (Moûsa, “Muse”).[2][1][3] A Greek form mūsicē was also used.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found in Varro (116–27 BC), who says writers disagree on medicine and on music.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

It was the art or theory of music, and for the ancients it included poetry and every higher artistic or learned pursuit, as Cicero's music as handled by Damon or Aristoxenus.[2][5] Cicero has orators claim that geometry and music belong to the philosopher.[2]

Pliny and Gellius used it of musical sounds, as Gellius' military music.[2] Ausonius' musica socci, “the music of the comic slipper”, meant comic poetry.[4][6] English music came from it partly through Old French in the mid-13th century.[7]

Timeline

  • 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of the theory of music.[2][3]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of music and learning.[2][3]
  • c. 165 AD – Gellius uses it of military music.[2][3]
  • mid-13th century – English music is recorded.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Music, the art or theory of music; learning, the liberal arts.[2][5]
  2. Musical sound.[2]
  3. Poetry.[4][6]

Word family

  • mūsicārius
  • mūsicus

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com