Etymologically
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synonymum

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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]

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