Etymograph

English

histrionic

Histrionic comes from Late Latin histriōnicus ‘pertaining to acting’, and goes back to histriō ‘actor, player’.

  1. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEhistriō‘actor, player’
  2. Late Latin, derivedc. 200–600 CEhistriōnicus‘pertaining to acting’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1785histrionic

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEhistriō‘actor, player’
  2. Late Latin, derivedc. 200–600 CEhistriōnicus‘pertaining to acting’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1785histrionic

Earliest quotation: 1785, William Cowper, Book II. The Time-piece.: “[F]oppiſh airs / And hiſtrionic mumm'ry, that let down…”

The story

Borrowed from Late Latin histriōnicus (‘pertaining to acting; scurrilous, shameful; wretched’), from Latin histriōnicus (‘pertaining to acting and the theatre’), from histriō (‘actor, player’) + -icus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’).

Every English word from Late Latin histriō

Today it means

adj Of or relating to actors or acting.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Late Latin histriō / histrionic

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