symptoma

Forms

symptōma n (genitive symptōmatis); third declension^[1] Medieval spellings include sinthoma, sintoma and syntoma.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek σύμπτωμα (súmptōma, “happening, chance, mishap”), from συμπίπτω (sumpíptō, “to fall together, befall”), from σύν (sún, “together”) and πίπτω (píptō, “to fall”).^[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Caelius Aurelianus uses it for a symptom of disease.^[5]

Semantic evolution

In Medieval Latin it often appears as sinthoma.^[4][3] British sources use it for a happening or occurrence, for a characteristic sign of a condition, and in medicine for a symptom of disease.^[3] English symptom comes from the medieval form.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 1180 – A medieval source has it.^[2]
• late 14th century – English borrows it as sinthoma, later symptom.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Late Latin, medicine) A symptom.^[5][6]
2. (Medieval Latin) A happening, occurrence.^[3]
3. (Medieval Latin) A characteristic sign of a condition.^[3]

Related words

• English symptom

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
3. ^ a b c d e 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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson