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 descriptive (unlike the prescriptive or specific curriculum). A syllabus may be set out by an exam board or prepared by the tutor who supervises 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 σίλλυβος sillybos "parchment label, table of contents", 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] The apparent change from sitty- to sylla- is explained as a hypercorrection by analogy to συλλαμβάνω (syllambano "bring together, gather").[5]

See also

References

  1. "syllabus". Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. September 2005. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. Merriam-Webster Dictionary <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/syllabus>
  3. "Online Etymology Dictionary - Syllabus". Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  4. syllabus. Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short. A Latin Dictionary on Perseus Project.
  5. "The Curious and Quibbling History of "Syllabus" (part 2)". Epekteinomene. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
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