theme

Where does the word "theme" come from? It comes from Greek thema, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Theme’s story begins in Greek: thema meant “proposition.” Greek, from 'tithenai', to place. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as teme. Came via Latin 'thema'. It reached English by 1300s as theme. 'theme park' dates from the 1960s. Today, theme means the subject of a talk or piece of writing.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient thema "proposition", Greek, from 'tithenai', to place.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval teme "theme", came via Latin 'thema'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s theme "topic", 'theme park' dates from the 1960s.