English
icon
Icon comes from Latin īcōn ‘image, artistic representation of a thing’, and goes back to Ancient Greek εἰκών.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEεἰκώνeikṓn‘likeness, image, portrait’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEīcōn‘image, artistic representation of a thing’
- Englishearliest quotation 1981icon
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEεἰκώνeikṓn‘likeness, image, portrait’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEīcōn‘image, artistic representation of a thing’
- Englishearliest quotation 1981icon
Earliest quotation: 1981, Robert Palmer, Two Icons of Rock Music: “Only a handful of rock musicians have become genuine…”
first attested Computing sense first recorded in 1982 (as stated in the etymology)
The story
Eastern Orthodox Church sense is attested from 1833. Computing sense first recorded in 1982.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *weyk- ‘to resemble’
province, victory, victim, weakness, witch, victor, convince, wo, wicked, conviction, invincible, wight, weakly, vicar, eviction, convict, evict, vanquish, wile, waw, 33 more
through Ancient Greek εἰκών ‘likeness, image, portrait’
Today it means
noun An image, symbol, picture, portrait, or other representation, usually as an object of religious devotion.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek εἰκών / icon