sentence etymology

Etymology

  • The word "sentence" comes from the Latin word "sententia," meaning "opinion, judgment, or meaning."
  • The Latin word "sententia" is derived from the verb "sentire," meaning "to feel, think, or perceive."

Meaning

  • A sentence is a grammatical unit that conveys a complete thought or idea.
  • It typically consists of a subject, a verb, and often modifiers such as adjectives and adverbs.
  • Sentences can be declarative (stating a fact), interrogative (asking a question), imperative (giving a command), or exclamatory (expressing emotion).

Origin

  • The concept of the sentence has existed since the ancient Greeks and Romans.
  • The Greek philosopher Aristotle defined a sentence as a "meaningful utterance composed of words."
  • The Roman grammarian Varro further developed the idea of the sentence, defining it as "a complete expression of a thought."
  • The modern concept of the sentence emerged during the 18th and 19th centuries with the development of grammar and linguistics as academic disciplines.
  • The term "sentence" was adopted into English from Latin in the 13th century.

Additional Notes

  • Sentences can be simple, compound, or complex, depending on their structure and the number of independent and dependent clauses they contain.
  • Sentences are the building blocks of discourse, and they are used to create coherent and meaningful text.
  • The study of sentences is known as syntax.

sentence relate terms

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    Etymology Middle English sens from Old French sens from Latin sensus sensation perc

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    Etymology Latin sententia thought opinion maxim Proto Indo European sent to

  • sentence

    Etymology The word sentence comes from the Latin word sententia meaning opinion j

  • sententious

    Etymology Sententious originates from the Latin word sententia meaning thought opi

  • sentence

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  • time

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    Etymology The word clause comes from the Latin word clausula meaning a final or li

  • comma

    Etymology The word comma comes from the Ancient Greek word κόμμα komma which

  • period

    Etymology The word period comes from the Middle English word periode which itself

  • convict

    Etymology The word convict is derived from the Latin word convictus which means con

  • item

    Item Etymology Latin item also likewise besides Meaning A single or individ

  • mite

    Etymology The word mite comes from the Old English word mite which in turn is deriv