First printed edition of 1472 (by Guntherus Ziner, Augsburg), title page of chapter 14 (de terra et partibus), illustrated with a T and O map.

Etymologiae (or Origines) is an encyclopedia compiled by Isidore of Seville (died 636) towards the end of his life, at the urging of his friend Braulio, Bishop of Saragossa. Etymologiae presents in abbreviated form much of that part of the learning of antiquity that Christians thought worth preserving. Etymologies, often very learned and far-fetched, a favorite trope of Antiquity, form the subject of just one of the encyclopedia's twenty books. Isidore's vast encyclopedia systematizing ancient learning includes subjects from theology to furniture and provided a rich source of classical lore and learning for medieval writers. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (640x939, 123 KB) http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (640x939, 123 KB) http://www. ... Events February 20 - The Orkneys and Shetlands are annexed to the crown of Scotland Discovery of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia by João Vaz Corte-Real. ... Augsburg is a city in south central Germany. ... earliest printed example of a classical T and O map (by Guntherus Ziner, Augsburg, 1472), illustrating the first page of chapter XIV of the Etymologiae. ... 1913 advertisement for Encyclopædia Britannica. ... It has been suggested that Isidro be merged into this article or section. ... Events April 20 - Battle of Yarmuk - Byzantine Empire loses Syria to the Arabs The Arabs invade Persia Rothari marries queen Gundeparga, becomes king of the Lombards city of Basra Iraq founded by caliph Omar on a canal. ... In historical linguistics, etymology is the study of the origins of words. ... // Linguistic usage A trope is a rhetorical figure of speech that consists of a play on words, i. ... Theology is reasoned discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, word or reason). It also refers to the study of other religious topics. ...

In all, Isidore quotes from 154 authors, both Christian and pagan. Many of the Christian authors he read in the originals; of the pagans, many he consulted in current compilations. Bishop Braulio, to whom Isidore dedicated it and sent it for correction, divided it into its twenty books.

• Book I: Trivium: grammar
• Book II: Trivium: rhetoric and dialectic
• Book III: Quadrivium: mathematics, geometry, music, astronomy
• Book IV: medicine
• Book V: law and chronology
• Book VI: Ecclesiastical books and offices
• Book VII: God, angels and saints: hierarchies of heaven and earth
• Book VIII: The Catholic Church and Jews and heretical sects, philosophers (pagans), prophets and sibyls
• Book IX: Languages, peoples, kingdoms, cities and titles
• Book X: Etymologies
• Book XI: Mankind, portents and transformations
• Book XII: Beasts and birds
• Book XIII: The world
• Book XIV: Geography
• Book XV: Public buildings and public works
• Book XVI: Metals and stones
• Book XVII: Agriculture
• Book XVIII: Terms of war, games, jurisprudence
• Book XIX: Ships, houses and clothes
• Book XX: Food, tools and furnishings

Through the Middle Ages it was the textbook most in use, regarded so highly as a depository of classical learning that, in a great measure, it superseded the use of the individual works of the classics themselves, full texts of which were no longer copied and thus were lost. The book was not only one of the most popular compendia in medieval libraries but was printed in at least 10 editions between 1470 and 1530, showing Isidore's continued popularity in the Renaissance. The trivium comprised the three subjects taught first in medieval universities, before the quadrivium. ... Grammar is the discovery, enunciation, and study of rules governing the use of language. ... Rhetoric (from Greek ρητωρ, rhêtôr, orator) is one of the three original liberal arts or trivium (the other members are dialectic and grammar) in Western culture. ... Broadly speaking, Dialectic (Greek: διαλεκτική) is an exchange of propositions (theses) and counter-propositions (antitheses) resulting in a synthesis of the opposing assertions, or at least a qualitative transformation in the direction of the dialogue. ... The quadrivium comprised the four subjects taught in medieval universities after the trivium. ... Wikibooks Wikiversity has more about this subject: School of Mathematics Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about: Mathematics Look up Mathematics in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Wikimedia Commons has more media related to: Mathematics Bogomolny, Alexander: Interactive Mathematics Miscellany and Puzzles. ... Geometry (Greek geo = earth, metro = measure) {put in greek letters here, check accuracy} arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. ... Wikibooks Wikiversity has more about this subject: School of Music Look up Music on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Wikisource, as part of the 1911 Encyclopedia Wikiproject, has original text related to this article: Music Wikicities has a wiki about Music: Music MusicNovatory: the science of music encyclopedia Science of Music... In ancient Greece and other early civilizations, astronomy consisted largely of astrometry, measuring positions of stars and planets in the sky. ... Medicine on the Web NLM (National Library of Medicine, contains resources for patients and healthcare professionals) Virtual Hospital (digital health sciences library by the University of Iowa) Online Medical Dictionary Collection of links to free medical resources Categories: Medicine | Health ... Corruption Jurisprudence Philosophy of law Law (principle) List of legal abbreviations Legal code Intent Letter versus Spirit Natural Justice Natural law Religious law Witness intimidation Legal research Critical legal studies External links Wikibooks Wikiversity has more about this subject: School of Law Look up law in Wiktionary, the free dictionary... Chronology is the science of locating events in time. ... The term God is capitalized in the English language as a proper noun when used to refer to a specific monotheistic concept of a Supreme Being. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... In general, the term Saint refers to someone who is exceptionally virtuous and holy. ... The heavens are the sky, the celestial sphere, or outer space. ... Earth, also known as the Earth, Terra, and (mostly in the 19th century) Tellus, is the third-closest planet to the Sun. ... The Roman Catholic Church believes its founding was based on Jesus appointment of Saint Peter as the primary church leader, later Bishop of Rome. ... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the ‘catholic’ or orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ... A sect is a small religious or political group that has branched off from a larger established group. ... A philosopher is a person devoted to studying and producing results in philosophy. ... Pagan may refer to: A believer in Paganism or Neopaganism. ... In numerous religions, including Abrahamic religions, Jah religions, Sikhism, and many forms of Paganism, a prophet is an intermediary with a deity, particularly someone who claims to speak for the deity or interprets the deitys will or mind. ... Pronunciation: sib-ul The word sibyl comes (via Latin) from the ancient Greek word sibylla, meaning prophetess. ... In politics, a country (or in some cases, a group of countries) over which a king or queen reigns, is a kingdom, see: monarchy. ... City lights from space. ... In historical linguistics, etymology is the study of the origins of words. ... Mankind may refer to: Human beings and their society An alias of professional wrestler Mick Foley The MMORTS Mankind The morality play Mankind. ... Omens or portents are signs encountered fortuitously that are believed to foretell the future. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria Placozoa Subregnum Bilateria  Acoelomorpha  Orthonectida  Rhombozoa  Myxozoa  Superphylum Deuterostomia     Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... Orders Many - see section below. ... The World in plate carrée projection The World In English, world is rooted in a compound of the obsolete words were, man, and eld, age; thus, its oldest meaning is Age of Man. ... Architecture (in Greek αρχή = first and τέχνη = craftsmanship) is the art and science of designing buildings and structures. ... In modern usage, civil engineering is a broad field of engineering that deals with the planning, construction, and maintenance of fixed structures, or public works, as they related to earth, water, or civilization and their processes. ... Metal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Stone can refer to any of the following: Stone may be used as a building material, as in this dry stone wall The Rolling Stones, the Worlds Greatest Rock and Roll Band. ... An act of war - the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan during World War II War is a state of widespread conflict between states, organisations, or relatively large groups of people, which is characterised by the use of violent, physical force between combatants or upon civilians. ... A game is a recreational activity involving one or more players. ... Jurisprudence is the scientific and historic study of law, inclusive of: Legal history, including legal historiography and hermeneutics; Legal philosophy; Legal science, e. ... Italian ship-rigged vessel Amerigo Vespucci in New York Harbor, 1976 A ship is a large, sea-going watercraft, sometimes with multiple decks. ... See also list of house types. ... (See also List of types of clothing) Introduction Humans often wear articles of clothing (also known as dress, garments or attire) on the body (for the alternative, see nudity). ... Modern hammer A tool is a device that provides a mechanical or mental advantage in accomplishing a task. ... Furnishings (aka art objects, decorative arts, knick-knacks, bric-a-brac) are the objects, other than furniture, that occupy an interior space. ... Events May 15 - Charles VIII of Sweden who had served three terms as King of Sweden dies. ... Events June 25 - Augsburg confession presented to Charles V of Holy Roman Empire. ... By Region: Italian Renaissance Northern Renaissance *French Renaissance *German Renaissance *English Renaissance The Renaissance was an influential cultural movement which brought about a period of scientific revolution and artistic transformation, at the dawn of modern European history. ...

A stylized map based on Etymologiae was printed in 1472 in Augsburg, featuring the world as a wheel. The continent Asia is peopled by descendants of Sem or Shem, Africa by descendants of Ham and Europe by descendants of Japheth. All three were the sons of Noah. This map reflects Isidore's 6th century view; we now know that, although undoubtedly a brilliant scholar, Isidore was not always correct in his suppositions. Events February 20 - The Orkneys and Shetlands are annexed to the crown of Scotland Discovery of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia by João Vaz Corte-Real. ... Augsburg is a city in south central Germany. ... World map showing location of Asia Asia is the central and eastern part of Eurasia, defined by subtracting Europe from Eurasia. ... Sem or Shem; (Hebrew) One of the sons of Noah in the Bible. ... Ham (חָם, Standard Hebrew Ḥam, Tiberian Hebrew Ḥām, Ḫām, Geez ካም Kam: possibly warm; hot), according to the Genealogies of Genesis, was a son of Noah and the father of Cush, Mizraim, Phut, and Canaan. ... Japheth (יֶפֶת / יָפֶת Enlarge, Standard Hebrew Yéfet / Yáfet, Tiberian Hebrew Yép̄eṯ / Yāp̄eṯ) is one of the sons of Noah in the Bible. ... Noah or Nóach (Rest, Standard Hebrew נוֹחַ Nóaḥ, Tiberian Hebrew × Ö¹×—Ö· Nōªḥ; Arabic نوح Nūḥ), son of Lamech and the grandson of Methuselah, built an ark to save his family and a selection of the worlds animals from the Deluge. ... (5th century — 6th century — 7th century — other centuries) Events The first academy of the east the Academy of Gundeshapur founded in Persia by the Persian Shah Khosrau I. Irish colonists and invaders, the Scots, began migrating to Caledonia (later known as Scotland) Glendalough monastery, Wicklow Ireland founded by St. ...

External links

The text of the Etymologiae is available online at:

• LacusCurtius
• The Latin Library

In the second book, dealing with dialectic and rhetoric, Isidore is heavily indebted to translations from the Greek by Boethius. Caelius Aurelianus contributes generously to that part of the fourth book which deals with medicine. Lactantius is the author most extensively quoted in the eleventh book, concerning man. The twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth books are largely based on the writings of Pliny and Solinus; whilst the lost "Prata" of Suetonius seems to have inspired the general plan of the "Etymologiae", as well as many of its details.