Etymologically
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obiectivus

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ɔb.jɛkˈtiː.wʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ob.jekˈtiː.vus][1]

Forms

obiectīvus (feminine obiectīva, neuter obiectīvum); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin obiciō (“to present, expose”) + -īvus.[1] Etymonline relates it to obiectum (“object”) and ascribes its philosophical use to Duns Scotus.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates its first record to about 1360,[3] where it is a philosophical term for what belongs to the object of thought or action.[4]

Semantic evolution

In scholastic philosophy it described what pertains to the object of consciousness, and was sometimes set against subiectīvus: Wyclif speaks of acts that have an “objective and not a subjective” magnitude.[4] English took objective in this philosophical sense in the 1610s, on the model of the Medieval Latin word.[2] Its descendants include French objectif and Italian oggettivo and obiettivo.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 1360 – First recorded.[3]
  • 1610s – English forms objective on its pattern.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (Medieval Latin, philosophy) objective: relating to the object of thought or action, as opposed to the subject.[4][1][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  5. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson