synonymum

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [syˈnoː.ny.mũː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [siˈnɔː.ni.mum]^[1]

Forms

synōnymum n (genitive synōnymī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek συνώνυμον (sunṓnumon), neuter of συνώνυμος (sunṓnumos, “having the same name”), from σύν (sún, “with”) and ὄνομα (ónoma, “name”).^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lewis & Short and Köbler cite Fronto, whom Köbler dates 100–170 AD.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

It was a word with the same meaning as another, a synonym, in Fronto and the grammarians Priscian and Servius.^[2][4]

English synonym (early 15th century) came through Old French synonyme and directly from Late Latin synōnymum.^[3] It survives in Italian sinonimo and Spanish sinónimo.^[1]

Timeline

• 100–170 AD – Fronto uses it.^[4][5]
• early 15th century – English synonym is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A synonym.^[2]

Related words

• nōmen
• English synonym

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de