syntaxis

Forms

syntaxis f (genitive syntaxis or syntaxeōs or syntaxios); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek σύνταξις (súntaxis).^[2][3] The Greek word is formed from σύν (sún) and τάσσω (tássō).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Suetonius, in his work on the rhetoricians, says that the exercises later called contrōversiae were once called by the Greek name syntaxis.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

As a grammatical term, the connection or arrangement of words, it appears in Priscian.^[5][6] Medieval grammarians used it for the rules of construction, syntax, and as the title of grammatical treatises.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 75–c. 150 AD – Suetonius names it as the older term for a contrōversia.^[2][7]
• 6th century AD – Priscian uses it for the connection of words.^[5][7]

Meanings

Noun

1. (rhetoric) The earlier name for a controversia, a practice speech on a disputed case.^[2][4]
2. (grammar) The arrangement or connection of words; syntax.^[5][6][3]
3. (Medieval Latin) A treatise on syntax.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d 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 Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
5. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de