English
homology
Homology comes from Ancient Greek ὁμολογία ‘agreement, assent’, from ὁμός ‘same, common, joint’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sem- ‘together, one’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sem-‘together, one’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*somHós‘same, alike’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*homósreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEὁμός‘same, common, joint’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEὁμόλογος‘in agreement, of one mind’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEὁμολογίαhomología‘agreement, assent’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhomologia
- Englishearliest quotation 2000homology
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sem-‘together, one’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*somHós‘same, alike’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*homósreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEὁμός‘same, common, joint’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEὁμόλογος‘in agreement, of one mind’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEὁμολογίαhomología‘agreement, assent’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhomologia
- Englishearliest quotation 2000homology
Earliest quotation: 2000, Sibe Mardešić, Strong Shape and Homology: “One encounters a similar situation in homology theory. Beside…”
Equivalent to homo- + -logy
Proto-Indo-European *sem- ‘one, whole’
Proto-Indo-European *somHós ‘same, alike’
Proto-Hellenic *homós
Ancient Greek ὁμός ‘same’
English homo-
The story
In topology, first used by French polymath Henri Poincaré, in the sense (close to what is now called a bordism) of a relation between manifolds mapped into a reference manifold: that is, the property of such manifolds that they form the boundary of a higher-dimensional manifold inside the reference manifold. Poincaré's version was eventually replaced by the more general singular homology, which is what mathematicians now mean by homology.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *sem- ‘together, one’
some, single, similar, seem, simple, simply, soft, sam, simulation, sincerely, singular, resemble, assemble, resemblance, simultaneous, simulate, sincerity, anomaly, semblance, assimilate, synapse, insincere, hyphen, anomalous, simile, simulacrum, sempre, synchronise, 47 more
through Proto-Indo-European *somHós ‘same, alike’
through Ancient Greek ὁμός ‘same, common, joint’
Today it means
noun specifically, such relationship in the context of the geometry of perspective.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *sem- / homology