technology
/tɛkˈnɑlədʒi/noun
Practical application of knowledge, tools, and techniques
From Greek τέχνη / techno- (Art).
Lineage
τέχνη / techno-
-λογία / -logy
The story
Picture an ancient Greek explaining grammar as if it were a craft workshop: that was τεχνολογία, a systematic treatment of an art or skill. The first half, τέχνη, was much broader than modern “technology”—it could include music, cookery, medicine, navigation, or the construction of a ship. The second half, -λογία, points to λόγος, a word, account, or carefully arranged explanation; it is the same family that gives us philology, astrology, and anthology. English borrowed the learned form in the 1610s, but the modern machinery-centered sense arrived much later: by 1859, spinning, metalworking, and brewing could count as “technology.” And when “high-tech” appeared in 1972, the old Greek pairing of skilled making and organized explanation had finally acquired a shiny electronic afterlife.
Words from the same roots
τέχνη / techno- · Ancient Greek, ‘Art, skill, craft, method, or skilled practice’
Derivedtechnical, technocracy, technician, technique, technology, technocrat
Sources
- Etymonlinetechnology, techno-, -logy, amplification, luddite
- Urban Dictionarytechnology
- Wikipediatechnology
- Wiktionarytechnology, techno-, -logy