Syllabus
A syllabus (/ˈsɪləbəs/; plural syllabuses[1] or syllabi[2]) or specification is a document that communicates information about a specific course and defines expectations and responsibilities. It is generally narrower in scope than a curriculum. A syllabus may be set out by an examination board or prepared by the tutor who teaches or controls the course.
Etymology
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word syllabus derives from modern Latin syllabus "list", in turn from a misreading of the Greek σίττυβος sittybos (the leather parchment label that gave the title and contents of a document), which first occurred in a 15th-century print of Cicero's letters to Atticus.[1][3] Earlier Latin dictionaries such as Lewis and Short contain the word syllabus,[4] relating it to the non-existent Greek word σύλλαβος, which appears to be a mistaken reading of syllaba "syllable"; the newer Oxford Latin Dictionary does not contain this word.[5][self-published source?] The apparent change from sitty- to sylla- is explained as a hypercorrection by analogy to συλλαμβάνω (syllambano "bring together, gather").[5]
See also
References
- ^ a b "syllabus". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ Merriam-Webster Dictionary <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/syllabus>
- ^ "Online Etymology Dictionary - Syllabus". Retrieved 22 August 2012.
- ^ syllabus. Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short. A Latin Dictionary on Perseus Project.
- ^ a b "The Curious and Quibbling History of "Syllabus" (part 2)". Epekteinomene. Retrieved 5 May 2014.