Science, ideas & the arts

idea

Greek idéa was the 'look' or 'form' of a thing, and Plato made it the eternal pattern behind everything we see. Latin philosophy carried it into every European language, and in the 20th century Japanese borrowed it back from English for a bright idea.

Weakest linkCertain

The road to English

From Ancient Greek to Modern Greek

From Latin to Old French, French

From French to German

From French to Swedish

From Latin to Italian

From Latin to Spanish

From Latin to Portuguese

From Latin to Polish, Russian

From English to Japanese

400 BCEAncient Greek

Hops are evenly spaced; labels show the year each form is first attested.

The road to English

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