Etymologically
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syntheticus

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [synˈtʰɛ.tɪ.kʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [sinˈtɛː.ti.kus][1]

Forms

syntheticus (feminine synthetica, neuter syntheticum); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek συνθετικός (sunthetikós, “skilled in putting together”).[2][1][3] Köbler connects it with synthesis.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The comic poet Titinius uses it of a garment, one belonging to the synthesis, the set of clothes worn at dinner.[2][5]

Semantic evolution

In Classical Latin it was a rare word for clothing.[2][5] Köbler records a medieval sense “consumptive” from before 1250.[4] In New Latin it meant “synthetic”;[1] English took the word, from French and directly from Modern Latin, in the 1690s as a term of logic meaning “deductive”.[3]

Timeline

  • end of the 2nd or beginning of the 1st century BC – Titinius uses it of a dinner garment.[5][4]
  • before 1250 – Köbler records the sense “consumptive”.[4]
  • 1690s – Borrowed into English as synthetic, in logic.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (of garments) Forming part of a synthesis, the dinner dress.[2][5]
  2. (Medieval Latin) Consumptive.[4]
  3. (New Latin) Synthetic.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f 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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c d Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier