Etymograph

English

idioticon

Idioticon comes from Ancient Greek ἰδιωτικός ‘pertaining to or for a person not engaged in…’, from ἴδιος ‘one's own, private’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swé ‘self’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*swé‘self’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*swéd-yo-sreconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*hwédiosreconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἴδιος‘one's own, private’
  5. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEῐ̓δῐώτηςĭdĭṓtēs‘person not engaged in public affairs’
  6. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἰδιωτικόςidiōtikós‘pertaining to or for a person not engaged in public affairs’
  7. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἰδιωτικόνidiōtikónneuter singular of ἰδιωτικός
  8. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEidioticon
  9. Germanc. 1650–presentIdiotikon
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1854idioticon

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*swé‘self’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*swéd-yo-sreconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*hwédiosreconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἴδιος‘one's own, private’
  5. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEῐ̓δῐώτηςĭdĭṓtēs‘person not engaged in public affairs’
  6. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἰδιωτικόςidiōtikós‘pertaining to or for a person not engaged in public affairs’
  7. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἰδιωτικόνidiōtikónneuter singular of ἰδιωτικός
  8. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEidioticon
  9. Germanc. 1650–presentIdiotikon
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1854idioticon

Earliest quotation: 1854, Idioticon: “There exist in Germany several valuable Idiotica.”

The story

Borrowed from German Idiotikon, Idioticon (archaic), from Late Latin idioticon (chiefly in the titles of works), from Ancient Greek ἰδιωτικόν (idiōtikón), the neuter singular of ἰδιωτικός (idiōtikós, “pertaining to or for a person not engaged in public affairs; private; amateurish”), from ῐ̓δῐώτης (ĭdĭṓtēs, “person not engaged in public affairs; amateur, layperson; ignorant person, idiot”) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós, suffix forming adjectives meaning ‘of or pertaining to’). ῐ̓δῐώτης is derived from ῐ̓́δῐος (ĭ́dĭos, “private (as opposed to public); distinct, separate; peculiar, specific”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swé (‘self (reflexive pronoun)’) + -ώτης (-ṓtēs, suffix forming nouns referring to types of persons). The English word is cognate with Dutch idioticon. The plural form idiotica is derived from German Idiotika, Latin idiotica, and Ancient Greek ἰδιωτῐκᾰ́ (idiōtĭkắ).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *swé ‘self’

such, self, solo, sole, suicide, solitary, sans, solitude, desolate, solitaire, swain, sullen, desolation, solus, sere, 19 more

through Ancient Greek ἴδιος ‘one's own, private’

idiocy, 2 more

Today it means

noun A dictionary of a specific dialect, or of the words and phrases peculiar to one part of a country.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *swé / idioticon

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