Etymology Map
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Pamphlet

3 stages from Medieval Latin to English.

Today it means a small booklet

Where does the word "pamphlet" come from? It comes from Medieval Latin Pamphilus, passing through Middle English before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
Pamphilus
Medieval Latin · medieval
"Pamphilus"
a popular 12th-century Latin love poem, copied as a small booklet
2
Stage 2 of 3
Pamphilet
Middle English · 1300s
"little Pamphilus"
the name of the poem as a small book
3
Stage 3 of 3
pamphlet
English · 1500s
"small book"
political pamphlets flourished in the 1600s
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Read the full story

Pamphlet’s story begins in Medieval Latin: Pamphilus meant “Pamphilus.” A popular 12th-century Latin love poem, copied as a small booklet. By 1300s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as Pamphilet. The name of the poem as a small book. It reached English by 1500s as pamphlet. Political pamphlets flourished in the 1600s. Today, pamphlet means a small booklet.