English
semantics
Semantics comes from French sémantique ‘semantic’, from Ancient Greek σημαντικός ‘significant, giving signs’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰyéh₂mn̥.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰyéh₂mn̥reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσῆμᾰ‘mark, sign, token’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσημαίνω‘to indicate’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσημαντικόςsēmantikós‘significant, giving signs’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsémantique‘semantic’
- Englishearliest quotation 2006semantics
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰyéh₂mn̥reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσῆμᾰ‘mark, sign, token’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσημαίνω‘to indicate’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσημαντικόςsēmantikós‘significant, giving signs’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsémantique‘semantic’
- Englishearliest quotation 2006semantics
Earliest quotation: 2006, Patrick Blackburn, Johan Bos: “In fact, nowadays a lot is known about the…”
Equivalent to semantic + -ics
Proto-Indo-European *dʰyéh₂mn̥
Ancient Greek σῆμᾰ ‘mark, sign, token’
Ancient Greek σημαίνω ‘to indicate’
Ancient Greek σημαντικός ‘significant, giving signs’
English semantic
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰyéh₂mn̥
Today it means
noun A branch of linguistics studying the meaning of words.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰyéh₂mn̥ / semantics