It is often said that English and other European languages have a lot of word from Greek. This is only partly true. In fact many of the Greek word were coined by British, French or German thinkers and scientists, not by people from Greece. This is true for most of the scientific fields.
Only a few basic field have an etymology going back to ancient Greece. For example :
- meteorology : the term was first used by Aristotle in 350 BCE.
- geography : first used by Eratosthenes (276-194 BCE)
Mathematics, astronomy or history are also ancient, and so old indeed that it is pointless to try to guess who invented these words.
The names of most of the other fields of science and medicine were first coined from the Renaissance onwards.
16th century
- psychology : first coined in mid-16th century Germany
- optics : first used in the modern scientific sense in 1579
- anthropology : first used in English in 1593
17th century
- physiology : first used in the scientific sense in 1615
- chemistry : first used in the modern scientific sense (as opposed to alchemy) in 1646
- pharmacology : first appeared in 1648
- zoology : first mentioned in 1663
- neurology : first appeared in 1664
18th century
- physics : first used in the modern sense in 1715
- philology : first attested in 1716
- cosmology : first used in 1730 by German philosopher Christian Wolff
- geology : first used in 1735, but the term was popularised by Denis Diderot in his Encyclopedie published in 1751.
- obstetrics : term first used in 1742
- dermatology : term coined in 1777
- ethnology : coined by Slovak historian Adam Franz Kollár in 1783
- aeronautics : first used in 1784
- homeopathy : term coined by German physician Samuel Hahnemann in 1796
19th century
- biology : suggested in 1802 by German naturalist G. Reinhold Treviranus and introduced as a scientific term that year in French by Lamarck
- psychiatry : the term was first coined by the German physician Johann Christian Reil in 1808
- genetics : coined 1831 by Carlyle
- neuropsychiatry : first used in 1846 in France
- gynaecology : first used in 1847 in France
- linguistics : first attested in 1847
- thermodynamics : term coined by James Joule in 1849
- oncology : first used in 1857
- ecology : coined by German zoologist Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) in 1873
- osteopathy : term coined by Andrew Taylor Still in 1874
- biochemistry : first used in 1882, but first proposed as a scientific term by Carl Neuberg in 1903
- pediatrics : term first attested in 1884
- psychotherapy : term first used in 1890
- psychoanalysis : coined by Sigmund Freud in 1896
20th century
- geriatrics : the term was proposed in 1909 by Austrian-American Dr. Ignatz Leo Nascher.
- geopolitics : term coined by Swedish political scientist Rudolf Kjellén in the early 20th century
Only a few basic field have an etymology going back to ancient Greece. For example :
- meteorology : the term was first used by Aristotle in 350 BCE.
- geography : first used by Eratosthenes (276-194 BCE)
Mathematics, astronomy or history are also ancient, and so old indeed that it is pointless to try to guess who invented these words.
The names of most of the other fields of science and medicine were first coined from the Renaissance onwards.
16th century
- psychology : first coined in mid-16th century Germany
- optics : first used in the modern scientific sense in 1579
- anthropology : first used in English in 1593
17th century
- physiology : first used in the scientific sense in 1615
- chemistry : first used in the modern scientific sense (as opposed to alchemy) in 1646
- pharmacology : first appeared in 1648
- zoology : first mentioned in 1663
- neurology : first appeared in 1664
18th century
- physics : first used in the modern sense in 1715
- philology : first attested in 1716
- cosmology : first used in 1730 by German philosopher Christian Wolff
- geology : first used in 1735, but the term was popularised by Denis Diderot in his Encyclopedie published in 1751.
- obstetrics : term first used in 1742
- dermatology : term coined in 1777
- ethnology : coined by Slovak historian Adam Franz Kollár in 1783
- aeronautics : first used in 1784
- homeopathy : term coined by German physician Samuel Hahnemann in 1796
19th century
- biology : suggested in 1802 by German naturalist G. Reinhold Treviranus and introduced as a scientific term that year in French by Lamarck
- psychiatry : the term was first coined by the German physician Johann Christian Reil in 1808
- genetics : coined 1831 by Carlyle
- neuropsychiatry : first used in 1846 in France
- gynaecology : first used in 1847 in France
- linguistics : first attested in 1847
- thermodynamics : term coined by James Joule in 1849
- oncology : first used in 1857
- ecology : coined by German zoologist Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) in 1873
- osteopathy : term coined by Andrew Taylor Still in 1874
- biochemistry : first used in 1882, but first proposed as a scientific term by Carl Neuberg in 1903
- pediatrics : term first attested in 1884
- psychotherapy : term first used in 1890
- psychoanalysis : coined by Sigmund Freud in 1896
20th century
- geriatrics : the term was proposed in 1909 by Austrian-American Dr. Ignatz Leo Nascher.
- geopolitics : term coined by Swedish political scientist Rudolf Kjellén in the early 20th century
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