encyclopedia: [16] Etymologically, encyclopedia means ‘general education’. It is a medieval formation, based on the Greek phrase egkúklios paideíā (egkúklios, a compound adjective formed from the prefix en- ‘in’ and kúklos ‘circle’ – source of English cycle – meant originally ‘circular’, and hence ‘general’, and is the ultimate source of English encyclical [17]; paideíā ‘education’ was a derivative of país ‘boy, child’, which has given English paederast [18], paedophilia [20], pedagogue [14], pedant [16], and paediatrician [20]).
This referred to the general course of education which it was customary to give a child in classical Greece, and after it was merged into a single word egkuklopaideíā and transmitted via medieval Latin encyclopedia into English, it retained that meaning at first. However, in the 17th century the term began to be applied to compendious reference works (the first, or at least the one which did most to establish the name, was perhaps that of J H Alsted in 1632).
The Encyclopedia Britannica was first published in 1768. => cycle, encyclical, paederast, pedagogue, pedant, pediatrician
encyclopedia (n.)
1530s, "general course of instruction," from Modern Latin encyclopaedia (c. 1500), thought to be a false reading by Latin authors of Greek enkyklios paideia taken as "general education," but literally "training in a circle," i.e. the "circle" of arts and sciences, the essentials of a liberal education; from enkyklios "circular," also "general" (from en "in;" see in + kyklos "circle;" see cycle (n.)) + paideia "education, child-rearing," from pais (genitive paidos) "child" (see pedo-).
Modern sense of "reference work arranged alphabetically" is from 1640s, often applied specifically to the French "Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des Sciences, des Arts, et des Métiers" (1751-65). Related: Encyclopedist.
双语例句
1. The Encyclopedia is packed with clear illustrations and over 250 recipes.
那本百科全书有很多清晰的插图和250多个食谱。
来自柯林斯例句
2. The encyclopedia fell to the floor with a thud.
那本百科全书砰的一声掉到地上.
来自《简明英汉词典》
3. Geoff is a walking encyclopedia. He knows about everything.
杰夫是个活百科全书, 他什么都懂.
来自《简明英汉词典》
4. A dictionary explains words and an encyclopedia explains facts.