English
anthology
Anthology comes from Ancient Greek ἀνθολογία ‘flower-gathering’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀνθολογίαanthología‘flower-gathering’
- Englishearliest quotation 2004anthology
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀνθολογίαanthología‘flower-gathering’
- Englishearliest quotation 2004anthology
Earliest quotation: 2004, Laura Miller, Imagine: “Malkin and Stacks, along with Robert Dallek, James McPherson…”
Equivalent to antho- + -logy
Proto-Indo-European *h₂endʰ- ‘to bloom’
Proto-Indo-European *h₂éndʰos ‘bloom’
Proto-Hellenic *ántʰos ‘flower, blossom’
Ancient Greek ἄνθος ‘flower’
English antho-
The story
Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀνθολογία (anthología, “flower-gathering”), from ἀνθολογέω (anthologéō, “I gather flowers”), from ἄνθος (ánthos, “flower”) + λέγω (légō, “I gather, pick up, collect”), coined by Meleager of Gadara circa 60 BCE, originally as Στέφανος (στέφανος (stéphanos, “garland”)) to describe a collection of poetry, later retitled anthology – see Greek Anthology. Anthologiai were collections of small Greek poems and epigrams, because in Greek culture the flower symbolized the finer sentiments that only poetry can express.
Every English word from Ancient Greek ἀνθολογία
Today it means
noun A collection of literary works, such as poems or short stories, especially a collection from various authors.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek ἀνθολογία / anthology