Where does “dialectic” come from?
Dialectic comes from Old French dialectique, from Late Latin dialectica, from Ancient Greek διαλεκτική, derived from the adjective διαλεκτικός, from the verb διαλέγομαι meaning to converse, combining διά with the root leǵ-.
dialectic (English): Any formal system of reasoning that arrives at a...
Definitions
- Any formal system of reasoning that arrives at a...
Ancestry of “dialectic”, step by step
dialectic traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English dialect
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | dialect | A variety of a language that is characteristic of... |
| 2 | Middle French | dialecte | dialect |
| 3 | Latin | dialectos | a dialect; Nihilo lenior in convictores... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | διάλεκτος | discourse, conversation; manner of speech,... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | διαλέγομαι | I converse, hold a discussion, debate, argue; I... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | δῐᾰ- | apart; through, across; through; in different... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | διά | throughout |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dwís | twice, doubly; in two |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dwóh₁ | two |
via Old French dialectique
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | dialectique | — |
| 2 | Late Latin | dialectica | nominative feminine singular of dialecticus;... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | διαλεκτική | dialectic, discussion by question and answer,... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | διαλεκτικός | Conversational; Skilled in dialectic; Dialectical |
| 5 | Greek | διάλεκτος | dialect |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | δῐᾰ́λεκτος | discourse, conversation |
via Latin dialectica
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | dialectica | nominative feminine singular of dialecticus;... |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | δῐᾰλεκτῐκή | dialectic, discussion by question and answer, invented by Zeno of Elea |