Etymologically
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philanthropia

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Forms

philanthrōpia f (genitive philanthrōpiae); first declension[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek φιλανθρωπία (philanthrōpía, “humanity, love of mankind”).[1][2][3][4] The Greek noun comes from φιλάνθρωπος (philánthrōpos, “loving mankind”), made of φίλος (phílos, “loving”) and ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos, “human being”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is a post-classical word.[1] In the Digest (50.14.2) it means a present or gift, in the phrase philanthropiae nomine “by way of a gift”; some editions read philanthropii there.[1][6]

Semantic evolution

Medieval writers used it, as a Greek word, for benevolence and humanity, above all for God's love of mankind.[4][3] Smaragdus calls the Father's philanthropia ineffable, and Gerhoh explains it as the gentleness and clemency that the Greeks call by this name.[4] A Brussels vocabulary renders it with humanitas and clementia.[4] A Wrocław text says that the Son of God became man propter philanthropiam, id est propter amorem hominum “out of philanthropy, that is, out of love for humankind”.[7]

English took the word over about 1600, at first in its Late Latin form, as philanthropy.[5]

Timeline

  • 533 AD – The Digest uses it for a gift.[1][8]
  • 9th century – Smaragdus speaks of the ineffable philanthropia of the Father.[4][8]
  • c. 1600 – English borrows it, first in the Latin form, as philanthropy.[5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (Late Latin, law) A gift, a present.[1][6]
  2. (Medieval Latin) Benevolence, humanity, love of mankind; especially God's clemency towards humans.[3][4][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  2. ^ Victionarium (Latin Wiktionary), la.wiktionary.org
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ a b c d e f Novum Glossarium Mediae Latinitatis ab anno DCCC usque ad annum MCC (1957–), Copenhagen / Geneva / Paris: Union Académique Internationale; IRHT
  5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b Jeanneau, Gérard; Woitrain, Jean-Paul; Hassid, Jean-Claude (2017), Dictionnaire latin-français, online ed., prima-elementa.fr
  7. ^ a b Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
  8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de