Etymology¶
accusative(n.)¶
Grammatical case whose primary function is to express destination or goal of motion, mid-15c., from Anglo-French accusatif, Old French acusatif, or directly from Latin (casus) accusativus “(case) of accusing,” from accusatus, past participle of accusare “to call to account, make complaint against” (see accuse).
The Latin word was chosen somewhat inaccurately to translate Greek (ptōsis) aitiatikē “(case) of that which is caused” based on the similarity of the Greek word to the Greek verb aitiasthai “to accuse.” Greek aitia is the root of both, and means”cause” as well as “accusation,” hence the confusion of the Romans. A more correct translation would have been casus causativus.
Typically it is the case of the direct object, but also sometimes denoting “motion towards.” Nouns and adjectives in French, Spanish, and Italian, languages from which English has borrowed heavily, generally were formed from the accusative case of a Latin word. Related: Accusatival; accusatively.
aspect (n.)¶
late 14c., an astrological term, “relative position of the planets as they appear from earth” (i.e., how they “look at” one another); also “one of the ways of viewing something,” from Latin aspectus “a seeing, looking at, sight, view; countenance; appearance,” from past participle of aspicere “to look at, look upon, behold; observe, examine,” figuratively “consider, ponder,” from ad “to” (see ad-) + specere “to look” (from PIE root *spek- “to observe”).
canonical(adj.)¶
Early 15c., “according to ecclesiastical law,” from Medieval Latin canonicalis, from Late Latin canonicus “according to rule,” in Church Latin, “pertaining to the canon” (see canon (n.1)). Earlier was canonial (early 13c.). The general sense of “conformed or conforming to rule” is from 1560s. The meaning “of or belonging to the canon of Scripture” is from 1560s; hence “of admitted excellence” (1550s).
canon(n.1)
“A rule or law,” Middle English canoun, Old English canon “rule, law, or decree of the Church,” from Old French canon or directly from Late Latin canon “Church law, a rule or doctrine enacted by ecclesiastical authority,” in classical Latin, “measuring line, rule,” from Greek kanōn “any straight rod or bar; rule; standard of excellence,” which is perhaps from kanna “reed” (see cane (n.)), but Beekes favors Pre-Greek origin.
clause(n.)¶
c. 1200, “a sentence, a brief passage of a written composition,” from Old French clause “stipulation” (in a legal document), 12c., from Medieval Latin clausa “conclusion,” used in the sense of classical Latin clausula “the end, a closing, termination,” also “end of a sentence or a legal argument,” from clausa, fem. noun from past participle of claudere “to close, to shut, to conclude” (see close (v.)).
The grammatical sense of “one of the lesser sentences which united form a complex or compound sentence” is from c. 1300. The legal meaning “distinct condition, stipulation, or proviso” is recorded from late 14c. in English. The sense of “ending” mostly faded from the word between Latin and French, but it is occasionally found in Middle English.
A clause differs from a phrase in containing both a subject and its predicate, while a phrase is a group of two or more words not containing both these essential elements of a simple sentence. [Century Dictionary]
definite (adj.)¶
c. 1500, “fixed, established; certain, precise;” 1550s, “having fixed limits,” from Latin definitus “defined, bounded, limited,” past participle of definire “to limit, determine, explain,” from de “completely” (see de-) + finire “to bound, limit,” from finis “boundary, end” (see finish (v.)). From 1727 in grammar, “defining, limiting.” Definite means “defined, clear, precise, unmistakable;” definitive means “having the character of finality.” Related: Definiteness.
deictic(adj.)¶
In logic, “direct, proving directly” (opposed to elenchic), 1828, from Latinized form of Greek deiktikos “able to show,” from deiktos “shown,” verbal adjective from deiknynai “to show” (from PIE root *deik- “to show”). Related: Deictical (1630s); deictically.
epistemic (adj.)¶
“pertaining to knowledge,” 1886, from Greek episteme “knowledge,” especially scientific knowledge (see epistemology) + -ic (Middle English adjective form, latin icus, Greek ikon, from PIE adj. suffix *-(i)ko)
epistemology(n.)
“theory of knowledge,” 1856, coined by Scottish philosopher James F. Ferrier (1808-1864) from Greek episteme “knowledge, acquaintance with (something), skill, experience,” from Ionic Greek epistasthai “know how to do, understand,” literally “overstand,” from epi “over, near” (see epi-) + histasthai “to stand,” from PIE root *sta- “to stand, make or be firm.” The scientific (as opposed to philosophical) study of the roots and paths of knowledge is epistemics (1969). Related: Epistemological; epistemologically.
modality(n.)¶
“fact of being a mode,” 1610s, from French modalité or directly from Medieval Latin modalitatem (nominative modalitas) “a being modal,” from modalis (see modal). Related: Modalities.
modal(adj.)
“Pertaining to or affected by a mode,” 1560s, originally a term in logic, from French modal and directly from Medieval Latin modalis “of or pertaining to a mode,” from Latin modus “measure, extent, quantity; proper measure, rhythm, song; a way, manner, fashion, style” (in Late Latin also “mood” in grammar and logic), from PIE root *med- “take appropriate measures.” Musical sense is from 1590s; In grammar from 1798.
mood(n.)¶
It is worth remembering that the two moods have no etymological relationship.
mood(n.1)
“Emotional condition, state of mind as regards passion or feeling,” c. 1300, from Old English mod “heart, frame of mind, spirit; courage, arrogance, pride; power, violence” (also used to translate Latin animus, mens), from Proto-Germanic *mōda- (source also of Old Saxon mod “mind, courage,” Old Frisian mod “intellect, mind, intention,” Old Norse moðr “wrath, anger,” Middle Dutch moet, Dutch moed, Old High German muot, German Mut “courage,” Gothic moþs “courage, anger”), a word of unknown origin (Boutkan finds no acceptable IE etymology).
A much more vigorous word in Anglo-Saxon than currently, and used widely in compounds (such as modcræftig “intelligent,” modful “proud”). The Old English senses now are obsolete. Meaning “a fit of bad temper; sullenness, sudden anger” is by 1859. To be in the mood “in a state of mind to be willing (to do or omit something)” is from 1580s. First record of mood swings is by 1939.
mood(n.2)
“Grammatical form indicating the function of a verb,” 1570s, an alteration of mode (n.1). The grammatical and musical (1590s) usages of it influenced the meaning of mood (n.1) in such phrases as light-hearted mood. Also used in traditional logic (1560s) as a variant of mode.
nominative(adj.)¶
Late 14c., nominatif, “pertaining to the grammatical case dealing with the subject of a verb,” from Old French nominatif, from Latin nominativus “pertaining to naming, serving to name” (in casus nominativus), from nominat-, past-participle stem of nominare “to name, call by name, give a name to,” from nomen “name” (see name (n.)). As a noun, “the nominative case” (1610s); “a nominative word” (1660s).
name(n.)
“word by which a person or thing is denoted,” Old English nama, noma “name, reputation,” from Proto-Germanic *naman- (source also of Old Saxon namo, Old Frisian nama, Old High German namo, German Name, Middle Dutch name, Dutch naam, Old Norse nafn, Gothic namo “name”), from PIE root *no-men- “name.”
participle(n.)¶
Late 14c., in grammar, “a noun-adjective, a word having the value of an adjective as a part of speech but so regularly made from a verb and associated with it in meaning and construction as to seem to belong to the verb.”
From Old French participle in the grammatical sense (13c.), a variant of participe, and directly from Latin participium, literally “a sharing, partaking,” also used in the grammatical sense, from particeps “sharing, partaking” (see participation). In grammatical sense, the Latin translates Greek metokhē “sharer, partaker,” and the notion is of a word “partaking” of the nature of both a noun and an adjective.
participation(n.)
“Act or fact of sharing or partaking in common with another or others; act or state of receiving or having a part of something,” late 14c., participacioun, from Old French participacion (13c.) and directly from Late Latin participationem (nominative participatio) “partaking,” noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin participare “participate in, share in, partake of; to make partaker, to share, impart,” from particeps (genitive participis) “partaker, comrade, fellow soldier,” also, as an adjective, “sharing, partaking,” from pars (genitive partis) “a part, piece, a division” (from PIE root *pere- (2) “to grant, allot”) + -cip-, weak form of stem of capere “to take,” from PIE root *kap- “to grasp.” Related: Participational “involving or requiring participation” (1952).
perfect(adj.)¶
Early 15c. classical correction of Middle English parfit “flawless, ideal” (c. 1300), also “complete, full, finished, lacking in no way” (late 14c.), from Old French parfit “finished, completed, ready” (11c.), from Latin perfectus “completed, excellent, accomplished, exquisite,” past participle of perficere “accomplish, finish, complete,” from per “completely” (see per) + combining form of facere “to make, to do” (from PIE root *dhe- “to set, put”).
Often used in English as an intensive (perfect stranger, etc.), from the notion of “complete.” Grammatical sense, in reference to verb tense describing an action as completed, is from c. 1500. As a noun, late 14c. (“perfection”), from the adjective.
phrase(n.)¶
1520s, “manner or style of expression,” also “brief expression with some unity; two or more words expressing what is practically a single notion,” from Late Latin phrasis “diction,” from Greek phrasis “speech, way of speaking, enunciation, phraseology,” from phrazein “to tell, declare, indicate, point out, show, inform,” also passively (phrazomai), “indicate to oneself, think or muse upon, consider; think up, contrive; suppose, believe, imagine; perceive, observe.”
The Greek verb is of uncertain origin; perhaps it is connected with phrenes “wits, senses, sanity,” phrēn “the mind, the heart,” literally “midriff, diaphragm” (see phreno-, mind, spirit). The musical sense of “a short and somewhat independent passage from a piece” is from 1789. Phrase-book “collection of expressions peculiar to a language” is by 1590s.
predicate(n.)¶
Mid-15c., a term in logic, “that which is said of a subject,” from Old French predicat and directly from Medieval Latin predicatum, from Latin praedicatum “that which is said of the subject,” noun use of neuter past participle of praedicare “assert, proclaim, declare publicly,” from prae- “forth, before” (see pre-) + dicare “proclaim” (from PIE root *deik- “to show,” also “pronounce solemnly,” and see diction).
The grammatical sense of “the word or words which express what is said of a subject in a proposition” is from 1630s. Related: Predicative; predicator; predicatory.
predication(n.)
c. 1300, predicacioun, “a preaching, a sermon,” from Old French predicacion (12c.) and directly from Medieval Latin predicationem, from Latin praedicationem (nominative praedicatio) “a foretelling, prediction,” noun of action from past-participle stem of praedicare “assert or proclaim, declare publicly” (see predicate (n.)). In logic, “act of affirming one thing of another,” 1630s.
syntactic(adj.)¶
1771, “conjoined, fitted to each other,” from Modern Latin syntacticus, from Greek syntaktikos “a joining together, a joining in order,” from syntassein “put in order” (see syntax). The meaning in grammar, “pertaining to or according to syntax,” is by 1807; earlier in this sense was syntactical (1570s). Psychology tended to use syntaxic (1945).
syntax(n.)
c. 1600, “systematic arrangement of parts;” by 1610s specifically in grammar, “construction of sentences, arrangement of words according to established usage,” from French syntaxe (16c.) and directly from Late Latin syntax is, from Greek syntaxis “a putting together or in order, arrangement, a grammatical construction,” from stem of syntassein “put in order,” from syn- “together” (see syn-) + tassein “arrange” (see tactics). Transferred to logical systems by 1922, to computers by 1958.
tense(n.)¶
[form of a verb showing time of an action or state], early 14c., tens “time, period of time” (a sense now obsolete), also in grammar, “tense of a verb” (late 14c.), from Old French tens “time, period of time, era; occasion, opportunity; weather” (11c., Modern French temps), from Latin tempus “a portion of time” (also source of Spanish tiempo, Italian tempo; see temporal (adj.1)).
tense(adj.)
“stretched tight, being in a state of tension,” 1660s, from Latin tensus, past participle of tendere “to stretch, extend” (see tenet). The figurative sense of “in a state of nervous tension” is attested by 1821. Related: Tensely; tenseness.
tense(v.)
“Make taut, stretch tight,” 1670s (implied in tensed), from tense (adj.); intransitive sense of “become tense” is by 1884 (implied in tensing); often as tense up.
Note: ten* to temp* >> stretch of time (PIE root *ten to Proto-Italic *temp, tempos) >> then consolidated as tempus for time in Latin
valence(n.)¶
Early 15c., “herbal medicinal preparation,” from Latin valentia “strength, capacity,” from valentem (nominative valens) “strong, stout, vigorous, powerful,” present participle of valere “be strong” (from PIE root *wal- “to be strong”).
The sense in chemistry of “relative combining capacity of an element with other atoms” compared with hydrogen is by 1884, from German Valenz (1868), which is from the Latin word. Related: Valency.