English
astrology
Astrology comes from Latin astrologia ‘astronomy’, from Ancient Greek ἀστρολογία ‘telling of the stars’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to collect, gather’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-‘to collect, gather’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*légō‘to gather’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEλέγω‘to put in order, arrange, gather’next step skipped: Ancient Greek ἀστήρ
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἄστρονástron‘star, planet, or constellation’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἀστρολογίαastrología‘telling of the stars’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEastrologia‘astronomy’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600astrologie
- Englishearliest quotation 1971astrology
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-‘to collect, gather’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*légō‘to gather’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEλέγω‘to put in order, arrange, gather’next step skipped: Ancient Greek ἀστήρ
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἄστρονástron‘star, planet, or constellation’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἀστρολογίαastrología‘telling of the stars’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEastrologia‘astronomy’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600astrologie
- Englishearliest quotation 1971astrology
Earliest quotation: 1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic: “For if astronomy is the study of the movements…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to collect, gather’
election, collection, lesson, select, elite, eligible, collect, elect, logic, elegant, legion, coil, negligence, negligible, apology, negligent, leach, diligent, analogy, sociology, trilogy, terminology, logos, physiology, pathology, cull, monologue, archaeologist, logistic, pathologist, legation, prologue, eulogy, lignite, lignin, homologous, etymology, epistemology, entomology, ineligibility, 163 more
through Proto-Hellenic *légō ‘to gather’
through Ancient Greek λέγω ‘to put in order, arrange, gather’
technology, catalogue, lexicon, lexical, epilogue, dialectic, alexia, lexis, cosmology, gynecologist, dialogic, 20 more
through Ancient Greek ἄστρον ‘star, planet, or constellation’
Today it means
noun Divination about human affairs or natural phenomena from the relative positions of celestial bodies.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- / astrology