polytechnic
/ˌpɑːliˈtɛknɪk/adjective, noun
Involving or teaching many technical subjects
From Greek πολύς (many) + Greek τέχνη (art).
Lineage
πολύς
τέχνη
The story
Picture revolutionary Paris in 1794: France needed engineers, so it created a school designed to gather many technical arts under one roof. Its name, École polytechnique, drew on the Greek πολύτεχνος, meaning “skilled in many arts”—a compact ancient advertisement for intellectual versatility. The first half is the same poly- seen in polyglot and polymath; the second, τέχνη, is the ancestor of technique and technology. English adopted the adjective in 1805 and shortened the institution’s name into the noun by 1836. A modern polytechnic is therefore, at heart, a school whose name promises not one tool in the workshop, but the whole toolbox.
Modern usage
An indie band blending progressive rock, pop vocals, and strange 1980s-style guitars.
- Heard in
- music · indie bands
- See
- Urban Dictionary entry describing Polytechnic as a band playing shows in Bartlett, Illinois
Words from the same roots
πολύς · Ancient Greek, ‘many, much’
Derivedpoly-, polygon, polyglot, polysyllabic, polygamy, polymath
τέχνη · Ancient Greek, ‘art, craft, skill’
Derivedtechnic, technical, technology, technique, technician, biotech
Sources
- Etymonlinepolytechnic, school, etch, institution, institute
- Urban Dictionarypolytechnic
- Wiktionarypolytechnic