philologus Latin · revision 35887

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=Ennius (204–169 BC)|origins=grc φιλόλογος}}

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''philologus''' (feminine philologa, neuter philologum); first/second-declension adjective; as a noun, ''m'' (genitive philologī); second declension^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|grc|φιλόλογος|tr=philólogos|t=fond of learning; a scholar]],^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010) a compound of [[m|grc|φίλος|tr=phílos|t=dear; friend]] and [[m|grc|λόγος|tr=lógos|t=word, speech, reason]].^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ The spelling ⟨fil-⟩ is found in manuscripts and glossaries, and copyists sometimes confused the word with [[m|la|philosophus]].^(TLL)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLL's earliest example is a fragment of Ennius preserved by Festus, where the sense is unclear; the TLL suggests it may there mean “talkative”.^(TLL) In prose it appears from Cicero's letters on,^(TLL)^(Köbler 2010) as in his remark about men who are ''nōbilēs illī quidem, sed nūllō modō philologī'', “noble, it is true, but not at all men of letters”.^(TLL)^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The TLL notes that the word belonged mostly to everyday language and often concerned Greek matters.^(TLL) As an adjective it meant “literary, learned”: Vitruvius speaks of delighting in ''philologīs et philotechnīs rēbus'', literary and technical pursuits.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(OLD 2012) As a noun it meant a man of learning or letters,^(OLD 2012) with a wider culture than a ''grammaticus'' or ''litterātor'' according to L&S.^(Lewis & Short 1879) Suetonius says that Ateius took the name ''Philologus'' for his varied learning, like Eratosthenes, who first claimed it,^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(TLL) and Seneca contrasts what a ''philologus'', a ''grammaticus'' and a philosopher each notice when reading Cicero's ''De re publica''.^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+

+ Medieval British glossaries explain it as a lover of reason or of the word.^(DMLBS) In Neo-Latin it could still mean a lover of words, as in Ficino, who sets the ''philologus'' against the philosopher, and it came to mean a lover and expert of the ancient languages and literatures, as in Poliziano and Erasmus.^(Ramminger)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it in a fragment, in an unclear sense.^(TLL)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it in his letters of men of letters.^(TLL)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 84–c. 25 BC – Vitruvius uses it as an adjective, “literary”.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 4 BC–AD 65 – Seneca uses the noun beside ''grammaticus'' and ''philosophus''.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 75–c. 150 AD – Suetonius explains the surname ''Philologus''.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 1533 – Erasmus addresses the preface of his ''Adagia'' to all ''philologī''.^(Ramminger)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # ''(of subjects)'' [[m|en|literary|alt=Literary]], learned.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+ # ''(of persons)'' [[m|en|scholarly|alt=Scholarly]], versed in [[m|en|literature]].^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # A man of learning or letters, a [[m|en|scholar]].^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+ # ''(New Latin)'' A lover of words; a lover and expert of the ancient languages and literatures, a [[m|en|philologist]].^(Ramminger)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[philologia]]

+ * [[philosophus]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}