grammar

Where does the word "grammar" come from? It comes from Greek grammatikē, passing through Latin and Middle English before entering English (1500s).

Grammar’s story begins in Greek: grammatikē meant “art of letters.” From 'gramma', letter; the art of letters. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Latin as grammatica. Meant Latin learning in general. From there it passed into Middle English as gramarye by 1300s. Learning was associated with magic, giving 'gramarye' and later 'glamour'. It reached English by 1500s as grammar. 'grammar school' originally taught Latin grammar. Today, grammar means the rules of how words are combined in a language.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient grammatikē "art of letters", from 'gramma', letter; the art of letters.
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient grammatica "grammar", meant Latin learning in general.
3. Stage 3 · Middle English · 1300s gramarye "learning; magic", learning was associated with magic, giving 'gramarye' and later 'glamour'.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1500s grammar "rules of language", 'grammar school' originally taught Latin grammar.