Where does “bible” come from?
bible (Old French) comes from Medieval Latin biblia, from Latin Biblia, from Ancient Greek βιβλία, from Ancient Greek βιβλίον, from Ancient Greek βυβλίον, from Ancient Greek βύβλος, from Phoenician 𐤂𐤁𐤋, from Phoenician 𐤀𐤋 — deity, god.
Ancestry of “bible”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medieval Latin | biblia | book; Christian scripture; books |
| 2 | Latin | Biblia | the Bible |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | βιβλία | nominative/accusative/vocative plural of βιβλίον |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | βιβλίον | Strip of papyrus; Small book, tablet, letter; Any... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | βυβλίον | Strip of papyrus; Small book, tablet, letter; Any... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | βύβλος | papyrus; book |
| 7 | Phoenician | 𐤂𐤁𐤋 | Byblos |
| 8 | Phoenician | 𐤀𐤋 | god, deity |
| 9 | Proto-Semitic | ʔil- | deity, god |