entry
encyclopedia
/ɪnˌsaɪ.kləˈpiː.di.ə/Comprehensive reference work summarizing organized knowledge
From Greek en (in) + Greek kyklos (circle) + Greek paideia (child-rearing).
from New Latin encyclopēdīa, encyclopaedīa (“general education”), a univerbated form of Koine Greek ἐγκύκλιος παιδείᾱ...
from New Latin encyclopēdīa, encyclopaedīa (“general education”), a univerbated form of Koine Greek ἐγκύκλιος παιδείᾱ...
from New Latin encyclopēdīa, encyclopaedīa (“general education”), a univerbated form of Koine Greek ἐγκύκλιος παιδείᾱ...
from New Latin encyclopēdīa, encyclopaedīa (“general education”), a univerbated form of Koine Greek ἐγκύκλιος παιδείᾱ...
Word Ancestry
from New Latin encyclopēdīa, encyclopaedīa (“general education”), a univerbated form of Koine Greek ἐγκύκλιος παιδείᾱ...
from New Latin encyclopēdīa, encyclopaedīa (“general education”), a univerbated form of Koine Greek ἐγκύκλιος παιδείᾱ...
from New Latin encyclopēdīa, encyclopaedīa (“general education”), a univerbated form of Koine Greek ἐγκύκλιος παιδείᾱ...
from New Latin encyclopēdīa, encyclopaedīa (“general education”), a univerbated form of Koine Greek ἐγκύκλιος παιδείᾱ...
Picture an ancient Greek curriculum as a complete circle: not just arithmetic, but the whole orbit of arts and sciences considered suitable for educating a free person. The phrase ἐγκύκλιος παιδείᾱ meant roughly “education in the circle,” and later Latin readers fused it into encyclopēdīa—possibly after misreading the Greek expression as a single established word. The child-rearing element, paideia, is hiding in modern words such as pedagogy and pediatric, so every encyclopedia carries a faint classroom-and-playground echo. Its modern reference-book identity was powerfully reinforced by Diderot and d’Alembert’s French Encyclopédie, published from 1751 to 1765; the alphabetical shelf of knowledge you picture today began as an ancient circle of learning.
The Story
Picture an ancient Greek curriculum as a complete circle: not just arithmetic, but the whole orbit of arts and sciences considered suitable for educating a free person. The phrase ἐγκύκλιος παιδείᾱ meant roughly “education in the circle,” and later Latin readers fused it into encyclopēdīa—possibly after misreading the Greek expression as a single established word. The child-rearing element, paideia, is hiding in modern words such as pedagogy and pediatric, so every encyclopedia carries a faint classroom-and-playground echo. Its modern reference-book identity was powerfully reinforced by Diderot and d’Alembert’s French Encyclopédie, published from 1751 to 1765; the alphabetical shelf of knowledge you picture today began as an ancient circle of learning.
Modern Usage
A person who shares many detailed facts, sometimes while intoxicated
Kin & Kindred
From 'en'·in; within
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'kyklos'·circle; cycle
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'paideia'·child-rearing; education
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia