English
epistemology
Epistemology comes from Ancient Greek ἐπιστήμη ‘science, knowledge’, from ἐπίσταμαι ‘to know’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to collect (words)’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-‘to collect (words)’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*lógosreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEλόγοςlógos‘speech, language’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἐπίσταμαιepístamai‘to know’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἐπιστήμηepistḗmē‘science, knowledge’
- Englishearliest quotation 1995epistemology
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-‘to collect (words)’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*lógosreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEλόγοςlógos‘speech, language’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἐπίσταμαιepístamai‘to know’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἐπιστήμηepistḗmē‘science, knowledge’
- Englishearliest quotation 1995epistemology
Earliest quotation: 1995, Colin McLarty, Preface: “I believe that 'intuitionism' is usually, and rightly, taken…”
The story
The term was introduced into English by Scottish philosopher James Frederick Ferrier (1808–1864).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to collect (words)’
election, collection, technology, lesson, select, eligible, elite, collect, elect, elegant, legion, coil, catalogue, negligence, negligible, negligent, leach, diligent, lexicon, lexical, cull, astrology, dialectic, legation, epilogue, alexia, lignin, cosmology, lignite, lexis, gynecologist, ineligibility, dialogic, 151 more
through Proto-Hellenic *lógos
archaeological, pathological, astrological, etymology, homologous, pathophysiology, psychopathology, neurophysiology, bacteriological, histopathology, 102 more
through Ancient Greek λόγος ‘speech, language’
logic, apology, trilogy, analogy, sociology, logos, physiology, terminology, pathology, prologue, monologue, archaeologist, pathologist, logistic, eulogy, entomology, etiology, apologia, bacteriology, syllogism, bacteriologist, 111 more
Today it means
noun The branch of philosophy dealing with the study of knowledge; the theory of knowledge, asking such questions as "What is knowledge?", "How is knowledge acquired?", "What do people know?", "How do we know what we know?", "How do we know it is true?", and so on.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- / epistemology