prisma

Forms

prisma n (genitive prismatis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek πρίσμα (prísma, “prism; something sawn”).^[1][2][3] The Greek noun comes from πρίζειν (prízein, “to saw”).^[3][4] Etymonline notes that Euclid used it for the geometrical figure, apparently picturing a column with its sides sawn off.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its only ancient witness is Martianus Capella (5th century AD), who uses it in geometry and explains it as a “section”.^[5][2][3]

Semantic evolution

In Latin it remained a technical term of geometry, the prism.^[2][5] English borrowed it from Late Latin in the 1560s, first in geometry.^[4]

Timeline

• 5th century AD – Martianus Capella names the geometrical figure.^[5][2][3]
• 1560s – English borrows it in geometry as prism.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (geometry) A prism.^[2][1]

Related words

• English prism

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften