Etymologically
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theoria

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [tʰeˈoː.ri.a][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [teˈɔː.ri.a][1]

Forms

theōria f (genitive theōriae); first declension[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek θεωρία (theōría, “a looking at, contemplation, speculation”).[1][2][3][4] Köbler connects the Greek noun with θεωρός (theōrós, “spectator, witness”) and θέα (théa, “a looking at”).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Cicero still wrote the word in Greek letters in a letter to Atticus.[4] As a Latin word it appears in Jerome's commentary on Ezekiel, meaning philosophical speculation or theory.[4][3][2]

Semantic evolution

In Late Latin it named philosophical speculation and inquiry, in Jerome, Ambrose, Augustine and Cassian.[5][6][7] The glossaries explain it with cōnsīderātiō and contemplātiō.[8]

In Medieval Latin it became above all a word for religious contemplation and meditation, especially of God,[9][10] and for a vision and the contemplative life;[9][2] a saint's life describes someone moving from the active life towards theoria.[11] English took theory in the 1590s from the Late Latin word.[12]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero writes the Greek word in a letter to Atticus.[4][2]
  • c. 340–397 AD – Ambrose uses it in his letters for philosophical speculation.[6][2]
  • 354–430 AD – Augustine uses it in De beata vita.[6][2]
  • c. 360–c. 435 AD – Cassian uses it in the Collationes.[5][2]
  • c. 383–419/420 AD – Jerome uses it in his commentary on Ezekiel.[4][3][2]
  • 1590s – English borrows it as theory.[12]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Philosophical speculation, theory, inquiry.[4][3][5][13]
  2. (Ecclesiastical Latin, Medieval Latin) contemplation, meditation, especially of God.[9][10][11]
  3. (Medieval Latin) A vision.[9]
  4. (Medieval Latin) The contemplative life.[9][2]

Word family

Usage notes

Gaffiot also records a form theōricē, from Greek θεωρική (theōrikḗ).[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  3. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  4. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ a b c Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  7. ^ VoLat: Vocabolario della Lingua Latina (2018), Milan: Hoepli
  8. ^ Goetz, Georg (1888–1923), Corpus glossariorum Latinorum, Leipzig: Teubner; vols. VI–VII Thesaurus glossarum emendatarum, digital ed. CGLO, Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  9. ^ a b c d e Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  10. ^ a b 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
  11. ^ a b du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
  12. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  13. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson