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A STUDY OF TiDRDS
IN EDUCATIONAL T W I N O L O G Y
by
Arabelle Joyner Grant
A- presented t o t h e Graduate Commit tee of Flor ida State College fo r Women in partial fulfilment of the requirements f o r the Degree of lkster of Arts under Plan 11.
FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE FOR IIK)MEN
July, 1945
Approved :
-LI--* Professor Directing Paper
FLORIDA STAX UNIVERSITY UBRARlm
MAR 14 2001
Td Dr . Willian Hudson Roger.~,
sm inspiration t o the writer
in the .preparat ion of this paper.
FOREWORD
WORD STUDY
TITLES OF SCHOOL PERSONNEL
TYPES OF SCHOOLS
Kindergarten
Elementary
Secondary
Ins t i tu t ions of Higher Learning
SCHOLASTIC DEGREES
Master
Bachelor
Doctor
RISE AND DECLINE OF TERNINOLOGY
Correlation
Integrat ion
ODD WORDS
FINAL rom IhQEX OF WORDS
BIBLIOGRAPRY
Page
1
2
2
9
9
10
12
17
21
21
22
24
26
26
28
32
37
30
39
The purpose of t h i s study is not t o add t o the sum t o t a l of humsn
knowledge; ra ther it i s t o s e l ec t from a mass of n a t e r i a l and t o present
with coments a number of i tems which might add t o the sum t o t a l of human
enjoyment.
t ion, but that i s a matter of secondary consideration.
Perchance the reader w i l l gain some small amount of in form-
A number of words dealing with schools have been selected for study,
a l i s t by no means exhausting t h e well nigh endless p o s s i b i l i t i e s but
presenting, hmvwr , a fair sampling.
t he words, any change in meaning, difference i n American and English usage,
date of introduction i n t o the language, and source of entry - England or
America.
Note is mde of the etymology of
-
' If the reader enjoJis the. paper, t he wr i te r will feel well repaid.
.
WORD STUDY
TITLES OF scnooL PER SO^
Since the most important part of t he school personnel, both
numerically and fundamentally, is t h e student, t h i s term is selected for
first consideration.
Student. England contributes the most amusing of the modern def'ini-
Solemnly presented by t h e New English Dictionary is t i o n s for t he word.
"studenb
as a synonym fo r student does not become too widespread.
- - one who is addicted t o study". L e t us hope that study - addict
Cur ancestors seem t o have been determined t h a t the word student
should become a par t of the English language, for it was introduced from
both the Frenoh and the Latin.
the word s tudien t from t h e O l d French estudient , w h i l e in 1450 the form
student f r o m t h e Latin studentum pyas introduced, t h e la t ter form in time
becoming the accepted one. It is in te res t ing t o note that in 1600 an cut-
standing cha rac t e r i s t i c of students seem t o have been not so m c h keenness
as leanness.
As ea r ly as 1389 the re appeared in writ ings
1
Says a clown of that day,
I am not .. . leane enough t o bee thought a good Studient. 2.
Pupil. Often used as a synonym for student is t he word pupi1,derived - - from t he French pupi l le , from the Latin pupillus, meaning a n orphan boy or
ward, a diminutive of pupus boy. The roo t pu-, meaning t o beget, i s of
ancient or igin, being a l s o found i n Sanskri t as putras, son, and purnans, mn.
-, -
1 - James b r a y , A New E l i s h Dictionar on Histor ical Pr inciples
(Oxford, Clarendon F r e s T , m & . d f 3 7
Z .
W i l l i a m Shakespeare, TwelPth *.
3
For t h e f irst century and a half of i t s use the or ig ina l h t i n meaning of
orphan boy vias retained i n the English word, and not u n t i l about1550 was
t h e svord used i n t h e modern meaning.
of the use of pupil t o denote a student is:
One of the e a r l i e s t recorded instances
- 3
4 There is but one i n a1 thu in ive r s i t i e , t h a t when he WES a young man was q y pupill.
Pedagogue.
pedagogue, c a m into use.
synonymous with teacher, the term came l a t e r t o be used as a contemptuous,
der is ive ep i the t , probably due t o the f a c t that pedagogue i s a more affected
word than teacher and, consequently, those teachers who made an a f fec ta t ion
of book learning were ca l led pedagogues.
considered, it is undoubtedly j u s t a s w e l l that the term has f a l l e n in to
During the l a t t e r par t of t h e fourteenth century a word,
Today the term i s almost extinct. At first
If the Btymology of the word is
disrepute , f o r i n the days of Ancient Rcme a paedagogus was a slave who took
h i s master's chi ldren t o and from school and had charge of t h e m at home.
The Latin word retained the l i t e r a l meaning of the two Greek words from
which it WES derived, paidos, boy, and agogos, leading. Homver, even in
Roman times the word came t o mean a leader o r guide, and a verb, paedagogere
meaning t o i n s t ruc t was formed.
Teacher. The his tory of t he word teacher reveals t h a t it is quite
venerable wi th ago.
profession i s s o bas ica l ly a p r t of English l i f e that not only were there
teachers i n AngleSaxon times, but t h a t , i n addition, the Anglo-Saxon term
has been retained t o the present day, proving even more conclusively t h a t
Teachers should f e e l a pride i n t h e f a c t t h a t t h e i r
_I
Note the e l i s ion , a process which changed some words, but in t h i s case the usage wgs evidently-not widespread enough t o have effeoted a permanent a l terat ion.
4 J m e s k r a y , op. cit . , Vol. 7 , p. 1607. - -
4
t h e teacher i s not a fac tor superimposed upon English l i fe . Even the verb
teach, past tense taught, i s merely a modernized version of t he old Anglo-
Saxon teacean, E, changing during t @ Middle English period t o techen,
taughte.
Wycliff I s
- An in te res t ing h.iddle English vers ion of a familiar passage i s
Don of hem, a techer of t h e lam, axede Jhesus, temptynge hym.
Principal. If teachers should feel proud of t h e i r t i t l e , so should
pr incipals , fo r from the same generic term," are derived t h e words pr incipal ,
prince, and princess.
with t h e i r designation since no analogous' 'principaless
usage.
pr incipal , meaning chief or main, which came from the L a t i n p r inc ipa l i s ,
meaning chief or pertaining t o t h e emperor, from princeps, a Nard formed
However, feminine pr incipals w i l l have t o be content
has come i n t o
The word pr incipal was borrowed outr ight from the Old French
from primus,first , 'and capere, t o take.
came a l s o t o be used as a noun meaning the foremost or an overseer.
The Lat in adject ive -- pr inc ipa l i s
Though the word pr inc ipa l 9ws used in England i n 1927 t o designate
a person of high rank, it was no t u n t i l 1563 t h a t the head of a college was
ca l led a pr incipal , the
Deanes, Qiardeynes, Uaisters, Pr incipal les , Scholers, and Students... within the sa id univers i t ies 6
being the c l a s l i f i c a t i o n s of univers i ty people. Since the word mas not used
as an educational term u n t i l 1580 i n France7. t he t ransact ion must have been
a lend-lease affair , t h e English borrowing the word from t h e French who
James Eurray, op cit., Vol. 9, p. 127.
James Biiurray, op ci t . , Vol. 7, p. 1373. -- 7 Oscar Bloch, Dictionnaire Etymologique de la La ue Franpaise
(Par i s , Les Presses Universi ta i res de FraGeTl*Vol. 2 , p. 184.
borrowed back the new usage.
The use of the word p r inc ipa l t o desigpate t h e head of a primary
or secondary school originated i n America.
ing occurs i n the C e n t u q k g a z i n e of 1833s
A vsr:r ea r ly use of t h i s mean-
I am, s i r ... permitted t o be the Principal of the Canterbury (Corn.) Eemale Boarding School,
Pr inciple , meaning fundamental l a w or t r u t h , has from i t s introduc-
t i o n been a separate and d i s t i n c t word from principal. The two words,
der iva t ives of t he same Latin word, both entered the English language by
my of France.
meaning motive or cause from the Latin p r inc iphh , f i rs t cause, which, of
course, vas formed from princeps.
s t ab le than t h a t of most words daring $he Middle English period, a time
when consistency v a s not one of t he things t o be prized i n orthography.
Although pr inc ip le and pr incipal are pronounced alike today, the consistent
re tent ion of t he -& ending of pr incipal throughout a l l spel l ing changes
suggests that the las t sy l lab le must have received more stress than it does
at the present time.
Pr inciple i s the Anglicized form of t h e French word p r i n c i p
The spe l l ing of pr inciple was much more --
Faculty. Whi-le i n America the word f acu l tx i n educational c l a s s i f i -
cat ion appl ies exclusively t o people, t he same i s not t r u e i n Europe.
B o r r m d from the Old French word faculte' f rm the Lat in facul tas meaning
s k i l l or a b i l i t y , f r a n facilis, easy t o do, from facere, t o make or do, the
term vas used i n English i n 1387 t o denote one of t he departments or
branches of learning at a university, f o r example, the Faculty of Law, that
W i l l i a m A. Craigie, A Dictionar of Arr,ericar English on 8
His tor ica l Pr inciples T C d i G r s i t y of Chicago Pres s , 1944), Vol. 3, p. 1832.
James Kurray, op. e, Vol. 4, p. 16. -
7
This wa8 a d i s t h c t l y h e r i c a n c rea t ion 12 uninfluenced by the pract ice of any other land.
The word i t s e l f is derived f romthe Latin superintendentens, having
oversight of, from super, over, and intendere, t o s t r e t c h out.
Supervisor. Adopted from the Nedieval Latin supervisor, frm t h e
Latin super
used in England as early as 1454
t i o n of a body of worhn, but it was not u n t i l the latter p a r t of the
over, and videre, visum, t o see, t h e term supervisor was 13- -,
t o denote a person having general direc-
nineteenth century that t h e term began t o be applied i n an educational
sense. In America
Officers hown as special supervisors - appeared, selected usuaTy f r o m the specfal teachers of the 9~ subjects then entering t h e curriculum.
This special subject matter supervisor m s the forerurnler of t h e
present day supervisor who has charge of t h e t o t a l ' ins tmot iona l program
and
i s concerned wi th what should be taught, when it should be t a u h t ; t o whom, by whm, how, and t o what purpose. 8;5
Janitor. The prevail ing idea t h a t t h e word j an i to r i s derived f'rm
Janus, the R o m n god of doorways, is probably a misconception.
not seem m o r e log ica l t o presume t h a t Janus received his name fromjanua,
Vould it
1 2 Elwood P. Cubberley, Fublio Education in the United states -
(New York, Haughton Miffl in Company, 19a),p.5. 13
14 J ~ s &rays 2. g . 8 Vole 9, p. 196.
A. S. B a r r , William H. B u r t o n , and Leo J. Erueckner, Supervision (New York, D. Appleton-Century Company, 1938). p. 4.
15 E. C. E l l i o t t , City School Supervision (Yonkers-on-Hudscm,
N. Y., l o r l d Book C o m ~ a n ~ 4 3 , p. 12.
8
meaning; door, than t o suppose t h a t t h e god's name became a contnon noun
meaning door?
E, similar indeed t o janUa or ianua as it PIQS m i t t e n in Romsn days.
To substant ia te t h i s , the word for a passage i n S a n s h i t is 16 -
In the early part of t h e seventeenth century, the English adopted - the Latin word j a n i t o r meaning doorkeeper, and i n 1630 a m pws described
as
One John, sir-named Janitor, of his o f f i ce who was t o keep t h e prison. l7
From a keeper of t h e door t h e word has extended i t s meaning t o a care-
taker o f t h e e n t i r e building.
16 Note the s imi l a r i t y of another household divini ty , %eta,
with the Sanslcrit word vastu, meaning dwelling place. a l s o Penates, the god o m l y provisions with panasa, the S a n s h i t word f o r breadfrui t tree, and Venus, th-ess of love, with the Sanskrit vana meaning loveliness or desire.
Compare
- 17
James Kurray, 2. G., Vol. 5, p. 550.
9
TYPES OF SCHOOIS
To make a study of the names of a l l the mny and varied types of
schools throughout h i s tory would be outside t h e province of this p p e r .
Their names are legion; one oould easily boome l o s t in t h e maze of
overlapping terminology. Suffice it then t o s e l e c t some of t he names of
sohools in existence today and t o note their in te res t ing origins. These
names could be t r ea t ed in e i t h e r of two m n e r s , in the h i s t o r i c a l order
t h a t they came in to general usage or in a log ica l order beginning with the
kindergarten and ending with the university. As t h e l a t t e r sequence seem
t o be l e s s complicated, t he types of schools a re arranged i n t h i s paper
according t o t h e chronological age of t h e students attending t h e inst i tut ions.
An old, old word in the Eaglish language i s school i tself; in fac t , it
i s one of the few modern words dealing with education that has come d m t o
us frdm Anglo-Saxon times.
Eac thaer learnode on thaere yclan scole se aethela Gregorious. l8
writes Aelfr ic in t h e year 1COO. The Anglo-Saxon word was derived f rom t h e
Latin word schola f rom t h e Greek schole, meaning le isure .
today would unanimously agree t h a t the designation is a misnomer.
t o give t h e word-makers of Rome t h e i r j u s t due, schola in Latin or iginal ly
meant l e i s u r e given t o learning, and by metonymy t h e place where such learn-
3ng occurred c ~ m e a l s o t o be lmm as a schola or school i n the modern sense.
Students in school
However,
- Kindergarten. The word kindergarten, s t r i c t l y a loan word borrowed
with no modification from the German language, was coined fromtwo words,
18 Jams8 &ray, 9. G., Vol. 8, p. 212.
kinder, ’meaning chi ld , and garten, meaning garden. The first kindergarten
was established in Germany by Frobel who believed in developing t h e in-
te l l igence and soc ia l t r a in ing of young chi ldren by games, singing, exer-
c i ses w i t h t o y s , and t h e like. The f irst t o acquaint t h e Bmerican public
with the kindergarten movement was a personal f r iend of Frobel who came t o
t h i s country in 1851. It i s t o be expected that
of t h e t e n kindergartens established i n t h e United States before 1870. a l l except one -re conducted by Germans. 19
Evidently the word became assimilated in to the American branch of
the English language more eas i ly than in to the h g l i s h branch, f o r i n 1881
J. G. Fitch, i n publishing the lec tures whioh he had delivered t o prospective
teachers a t Gambridge University, uses t h e word kindergarten i n i t a l i c s . 20
T h a t
strangeness s t i l l enveloped t h e word i n 1880 i s
t o his (Frobel’s) method c i f u l name ing t h e r a the r f
has been given. 8 However, England did beccmu, aoquainted with t h e
shown by Fitch’s remark,
of infant train- of Kindergarten
word shortly a f t e r t he
inception of t h e kindergarten idea, for there appeared i n the July, 1855,
issue of t h e London magazine, Household Words, edited by Charles Dickens,
an a r t i c l e e n t i t l e d “Infant Gardens .I‘
. 22-
Elementary Schools. From the bys of Ancient Greece down t o t h e
John A. Waly, German Influence in Bmerican Education (Philadelphia, - Schwiz &moria1 Foundation, Inc., lm677. 20 - _
J. G. Fitch, Lectures on Teachin Cambridge hrin the Lent ~ ~ * ( N E W York, &cmillan Company, n . d 8 c - - ’ -
Delivered i n the Universitz.of - -- 21
Ibid. p. 184. - 22
John A. Waly, op. cit. , p. 39. -_ .
11
present a multitude of terms have been used t o designate t h e schools
giving t h e f i r s t t r a in ing i n the things which each par t icu lar age con-
sidered important and, therefore, wished t o perpetuate. About 1880 i n
t h e United States the term elementary began t o be applied t o t h i s type
of school.
throughout t he United States , even i n 1945 in t h e state of Florida alone,
t h e term applies in some l o c a l i t i e s t o school8 composed of grades one
through eight , in others t o sohools including only the first six grades.
The word elementary i t s e l f is a derivative of t h e Latin adjective,
elementarius f rm the Iatin noun elermentum meaning a first principle.
23 While the nslns e lemen tax school is n m i n general use -
A term current i n t h e United States pr ior t o the use of t h e term
elementary was grade schools. Grade from the French grade derived from ,
t h e Latin gradus meaning step, was used as ear ly as 1835
divisions of a school course and l a t e r came t o mean t he students i n such
a division, a school so divided, and t h e mark given a student as an es-
timate of h i s achievement.
ing is given by a s tmggl ing student a t Harvard in 1897 who said,
No man i s ever very much surprised t o have
24 - -8
t o denote the
One of t he e a r l i e s t examples of t he last mean-
his humble e f fo r t s i n any di rec t ion given grade C. 25
To this sentiment m y students of today would undoubtedly subscribe. In
each of i t s various manings, grade i s an American innovation i n educational - 23
No de f in i t e date is given, but wri ters begin t o use t h e term elementary instead of tcomont in refer r ing t o t h e school systems about 1880. School (New York, h c m i l l a n C o m p a n y , ~ ~ 6 ~ ~ -5. -rank Pierrepont Graves, A Histo
See Edward H. Reisner, The Evolution of the Canrmon
of Education (New York, ivacmillan company, 1913), pp. i8o- + 89, 2rS2.20.
24
25 W i l l i a m A. Craigie, op. cit . , Vol. 2, p. 1157.
Ibid., p. 1157.
- - -
12
phraseology.
The term primary schools, used a t one time t o denote those schools
giving instruction t o pupils u n t i l they reached the age of fourteen, has
today in the United S ta tes so narrowed i n meaning as t o apply only t o the
priroary departanent, that portion of the elementary school comprising t h e
first, second, and t h i r d grades. Pr-, f r o m the Latin primarius from
primus meaning first, antedated t h e term elementary school by almost a
century.
s t a t ed that
An a r t i c l e appearing i n t h e London Times of April 27, 1802, -
The Paris Journals.....are f u l l of a plan brought f o m r d by Fourcroy, fo r t h e establishment of primary schools, which is not in te res t ing t o t h e English reader. 26
That t he English journa l i s t m s no prophet is proven by t h e f a c t that
primary schools became widely establ ished throughout England and h e r i o a .
. Secondary Schools. O f cmpara t ive ly recent or ig in i s the term
secondary sohoo1,today used t o designate those schools above t h e elementary
and below the college or univers i ty level. Secondaq is a d e r i v a t i w of
t he l a t i n w r d secundarius from seoundus meaning the next t o the f i r s t or
second. As early as 1852 t he Indiana His tor ica l Society s ta ted that,
Those engaged in studies of a more advanced charaoter cons t i tu te another c l a s s termed secondary. 27
However, the meaning of t h e term secondary school had not became
crys ta l ized in England by 1880 as i s shown by a quotation f’rmthe very
f i rs t l ec tu re s delivered a t Cambridge University on t h e his tory, theory,
and pract ice of teachings
. 27
James &array, op. cit., Vol. 7, p. 1358. - - W i l l i a m A. Craigie, op. z., Vol. 4, p. 2058. -
13
Some explanatic6 may seem t o be need- ed of the nomenclature which i s here used i n dis t inguishing d i f f e r e n t c lasses of Schools. It would doubtless be of advantage t o employ in England t h e samd terminology which i s adopted throughout the continent. "Secondary School" i n France, Germany and Switzerland covers a l l t h e i n s t i t u t i o n s which l i e between t h e Elermentary School and t h e University; and it is manifest t h a t within these wide limits some f u r t h e r d i s t i nc t ion i s needed, in England at least, t o mark the different aims of sohpols .. ... Such phrases as "Enseignement Superieur" and "Enaeignomnt Yoyen" would hardly indica te t h i s d i a t ino t ion with su f f i c i en t accuracy.....So I have been fain t o fill back upon the words Primary, Becondary, and High Schopl, not because I t h i n k therm necessar i ly t h e best; but they mark with to l e rab le c learness t ion I have t r i e d t o make.
But the term
p r a c t i c a l d i s t i n c t - 98 Diverse indeed have been t h e terms appl ied t o schools of t h e second-
ary level . It i s in t e re s t ing t o note t h e new names f o r the wave of new
sohools which wmpt Over Europe during t h e Renaissance, names which have
survived t o the present day i n the acadehde and & of France, the 29
30 31 gymnasium of Germany, and t h e ginnasio of I ta ly . AB i s t o be expected,
Greek educational h i s to ry furnished these new terms, adaptations of Che'
Academy of Plato, the Lyceum founded by Ari s to t l e , and the gymnasium, a
s t a t e school of Ancient Greece f o r boys fraan s ix teen t o eighteen years of
age
Qui te amusing i s t h e etymology or gymna sium. The Lat in word
gnmasim comes f r o m t h e G r e e k p asion from gyrrm azein, t o exercise,
J. G. Fi tch, op. c i t . , p. iv.
Adolph E. Wer, The Developent of Education i n the Twentieth
28
29 - - - -7
Century (New York, Prent ice H a l l , 193v), P- 2% 30
Ibid., p. 332. - 31
E l l & d P. Cubberley, The Histor Houghton Mifflin Compeuly, mC1=$7x of Education (New York,
14
from -os meaning naked.
t r a in ing formed t h e llajor portion of t h e curriculum, the American use of
t h e word t o denute a building devoted t o athletic pursui ts is more near ly
i n accord with the or ig ina l school than the German usage t o signify a
school offer ing Latin and Greek.
gymnasium more near ly approximates the condition described in the or ig ina l
meaning of t he word. Of interest, too, i s t h e f a c t that t h e uncovered por-
t i o n of the Greek school w i t h i t s t iers of seats on one s ide vas ca l l ed the
stadium, derived from spadion f rom - span meaning t o s t re tch.
o r ig ina l ly meaning a measure of length of approximately s i x h u d r e d feet
came later t o be appl ied t o foot races of a ce r t a in length and finally t o
t h e course where t h e races were held.
Since a t the Ancient Greek gynmasium physical
Certainly t h e cost- i n t h e American
Stadium,
Plato 's Academy (Akademia) took i t s name from the grove where he
taught, t h e g r w e undoubtedly having been named in honor of Akademos, a
mythical Greek hero. T h e Lyceum derived its nams from another t r a c t of
land near t he temple of Apollo, one of t h e appellations f o r the god b i n g
Lykeios.
I n England t h e name for t h e secondary school v a s nut derived f r o m t h e
schools of h c i e n t Greece but from t h e most important subject of ins t ruc t ion - grammar. A person writing in 1387 s ta ted that,
A t Alexandria he heeld a grammer scole. 32
N u t before the seventeenth century m s there any need t o speak e x p l i c i t l y
of latin gramnar sinoe Latin m s t he only language whose gramMlr was taught.
Ben Jonson i n 1600 was one of t he first t o treat of English grannnar under
32 James &rray, 2 e., Vol. 4, p. 344.
.
15
33 that name. Being college preparatory schools, the grarmnar schools of
necessi ty considered Latin the most important subject, s ince without a
lmowledge of L a t i n the students could neither take par t i n the class-
room discussions a t college nor read the learned writers. Small wonder
then that Latin has left such a decided imprint upon words dealing with
education.
Later the term granunar school was t ransfer red t o America, and even II
t o t h i s very day grannnar c l ings t o the names of s o m schools i n Florida,
although the s ignif icance and appropriateness of the appel la t ion has long
since disappeared. I
Quite in te res t ing ramifications are revealed i n a study of the word
grammar. The word came i n t o the language during t h e Middle English period
as g m e r , an adaptation of the Old French gramairs which was derived f r o m
t h e Latin gmmm%tica.
meaning sk i l led i n granmiar, from grama meaning l e t t e r from the root of s t i l l
another word, graphein, meaning t o write. Ancient indeed is the or igin of the
word gramnar.
The Latin word is a der ivat ive of the Grem gramatikos,
An intr iguing s ide l igh t is the connection b e h e n Frammar and one o f
our very popular modern words.
study of 'g rmer ' was synonymous with the study of Latin, and at times the
term came t o be used t o denote learning i n general.
knowledge of the learned c l a s s cam, qui te natural ly , t o be l c o b d upon as
including magic, astrology, and other strange, weird subjects.
In medieval times, as s t a t ed before, the
To t h e uninitiated the
*story always
33 Ibid. -
16
surrounds the unknown. It seem almost inevi table that t h i s conception
of learning should arise especially since a l l study was i n Latin, a language
unknown t o the mjo r i ty of people.. The learned class probably d id nothing
t o d ispe l t he mystery.
courage i t ?
Rather would it not be on ly human nature t o en-
The foregoing seems t o be the only log ica l explanation of the modern
French word grimoire meaning a conjuring book, a change
de grammire qui d'apres l e sens of , l e XIIICsiecle, c e l u i de l i v e sec re t de sorce l le r ie . - Le d&velopyment de l a forme n ' e s t pas c l a i r dens l e de t a i l ; l ' a l t k r a t i o n semble avoir ete intent ionnel le pour 68' parer l e mot de grammaire au sens proper.34
The author goes on t o disprove t h e connection betmen grimoire and grimand,
in t h e sense of the devi l , s t a t i n g t h a t griimnd came i n t o the French language
a t a later date, probably from the proper name, Grimant.
grammire en latin," a p r i s rapidment , des I,
8 1 .
In Ehgland t o o the mysterious, Latin-encrusted, supposedly occu l t
s ide of learning cam t o be designated by a term d i f f e ren t from grammar,
i n t h i s case by t h e Old French word gramaire which has survived in modern
times as glamour.
To return t o t h e d i f fe ren t names fo r secondary schools, America's
contribution t o t h e terminology is high school, an old word from the Anglo-
Saxon heh, Middle English hegh. 35
1821 a t Boston
after 1824 as the Ehglish High School.
- The first high school was establ ished in - -
, Imm for t h ree years as t h e English Classical School, but
The word English appeared i n t h e name -
_ _ Osoar Bloch, op. cit., Vol. 1, p. 348.
Frederick Eby and Charles Arrowood, The Developent of Modern
- - 35
- Education (Mw Yor8,F'rentioe H a l l , 1 9 3 4 ) x . 725-726.
17
t o s ignie the f a c t t h a t English was t he so l e language taught, t he high
school being intended primarily for boys who Were t o enter conanercial pursuits
as opposed t o the college preparatory La th Gramnar School.
school i s t h e al l - inclusive term *ich has survived, since the high school
appropriated t o i t s e l f a l l types o f courses.
juven’is, ccrmparative degree jubemior, junior, meaning young, was added t o
h i h school i n the ear ly pa r t of the twentieth oentury, f o r i n 1910 junior A- high schools m r e established in Ohio and California
intermediate schools, they soon became jun io r high schools.
Of course, high
Junior derived from the Latin
36 ~ . A t first cal led
- Ins t i tu t ions of H i g h e r Learning. The Latin word univers i tas , from -
which i s derived the English word university, vras a general l ega l Rornan term
meaning corporation, t he sense of oneness being expressed by t h e pref ix uni-.
Hence it would be etymologioally correct t o say the Standard O i l University.
Pope Innocent in 1205
wri t ing t o the univers i tas , t h e corporation, of masters and scholars a t Paris.
Not u n t i l the fourteenth century
phrase univers i tas m g i s t r o r m e t scholaritrm.
were marely academic guilds s imilar t o t h e trade and c r a f t guilds which were
playing so great a p a r t i n the l i f e of t h e JLiddle Ages. The academic groups
adopted one of t h e medieval terms fo r a guild, universitas.
- 37
used the word univers i tas in exactly t h a t sense in
3% did t h e one word univers i tas replace t h e
At t h e i r or igin the univers i t ies -
39
The word college, derived from the Old French c o l l d ~ from t he Latin
Ellmod P. Cubberley, op. cit., p. 218.
Paul Ilionroe, History of Education (New York, Kaomil lan Compny,
-I
3%
1905), p. 319-320. 39
Frederick Eby and Charles A r r m o d , o& - o i t . , p. 21.
.
18
collegium, .though
exclusively t o educational i n s t i t u t ions a t as ear ly a date as did universiQ,
s ince the word college was bound closely t o t h e ohurah for a number of
centuries. As with univers i t ies , the idea of partnership mas involved in
t h e Latin collegium, a s the college of augurs, the college of tribunes. The
collegium derived its name from the f a c t t ha t the group of people banded to-
gether were ca l led collega, a word derived from 001-, meaning w i t h , and legare,
t o choose as a deputy, the group being colleagues i n the modern sense o f the
word.
of equally ancient origin, did not corn t o be applied
40
-
I n 1386 i n &gland Chaucer wri tes of a "gret collegge' in the Reeve's
Tale and t h e word o m t o be applied t o a self-governing i n s t i t u t i o n forming -9
part of a university. The Wyntoun Chronicle records,
In the Uny-versyte 2s Onenfurdo soho ge r t be A collage f m d y t .
I n America t h e Harvard Record of 1636 sayst
The Court voted f o r t h e erecting of a publick School1 or Colhdge i n Cambridge.42
Kc clear cu t marks of d i s t i m t i o n separate the terms c- and university
in America today allere college is even used t o r e f e r t o a d iv is iona l un i t
within a college, as the Oollege of k t s and Sciences
Collegp f o r Women.
43 a t Florida S ta t e
Rather peculiar is the nam f o r one of t he s p c i a l i e e d in s t i t u t ions
40
Wil l iam A. Craigie, op. cit., Vol. 1, p. 553. 43 _ _
Bullet in of t he Florida S ta t e College for Vicmen (Tallahassee, Florida -StateTo=ge fo r 'Nomen, 1 m o r 3 8 , r t 2, No. 1, p. ll. -
19
t of higher learning, t h e normal school.
school derived i t s name from L'Ecole Normals,
i n s t i t u t e of Paris.
German schools, published a report which psas t rans la ted i n t o English i n 1835
by an American who &cited in the preface that n o m 1 school was a Prussian
name.
who said in 1936:
O f course, the American normal
the fam0;s teacher t r a in ing
Victor Cousin, sent by the French Government t o study
This statement is refuted by John Walz, Professor of German a t Harvard,
N o m 1 school, i.e. Nomlschule , has never been used i n Germany.....it i s t h e French nanm e'cole normale which Cousin had used i n his re- -as t h e nam for teachers ' seminary. 44
T h i s BOQIL~ reasonable especial ly i n l i g h t of t he f a c t that L'iccle Normals 45 46
was established in 1794 and Cousin nade h i s f irst t r i p t o Germaq i n 1817.
Granted t h a t the term originated i n France, why was t h e school ca l led
The Latin word norm m e a n t o r ig ina l ly a square used by carpenters normal?
and &sons and f igura t ive ly came t o mean a rule or pattorn.
evidently meant a pat tern cr model school.
- /
L'Ecole Normals
A technical school takes i t s name from tb Greek word technikos from
techno meaning an art. -' he constructs. .
Closely a l l i e d i s the S a n s k r i t word taksati, meaning
A glance a t the whole range of t h e educational system in America,
e lmentary schools, secondary schools,.and in s t i t u t ions of higher learning,
44
45 John YYalZ, Ope cit., p. 16. - - Larousse 'du XX? Sieole (Par is , Librair ie Larousse, 1930), Vol. 3, --
p. 39. Afi &"
Enc c l o p e d i a Britannica, Fourteenth Edition (New York, Enoyclopdil Brit-9381, Vole 6, p. 611.
20
\ w i l l show that t h e terminology i s quite inconsistent. Elementary means
a first principle; secondary i s an ordinal, second; i n s t i t u t i o n of higher
learning i s a vague, nebulous term which could s i w i f y any learning above
t h e andergarten.
primary school, secondary school, and, t o coin a c lass i f ica t ion , t e r t i a r y
school? The term t e r t i a r y f i o n t h e Latin tertius, meaning th i rd , i s more
concise than t h e .unwieldy phrase, i n s t i t u t ions of higher learning, and
could, wfien surrounded by t h e same connotations, becom a designation much
more eas i ly used.
Would it not be more log ica l t o c a l l t h e tkirea divisions,
2
SCIIOLASTIC DEGREES
Is a college degree degrading t o a person? B o t h wwds a re derived
from degradare, a Latin word composed of de meaning from a n d bradus meaning
step. Probably s teps ir one d i rec t ion resul ted i n a degree; s teps i n
-
another d i rec t ion resul ted i n degradation. Let us hope t h a t the majority
of people continue t o f e e l t h a t the two paths a re divergent.
Degree came i n t o t h e language during the hiiddle English period as
degrs borrowed from a n Cld French word of ident ica l spell ing.
1380 said:
'iiycliff i n
Degre t a h n i n scc le makith goddis word more acceptable and the puple t r o w i t h betere there to vhnne it i s seyd of a mistir. 47
The word m s t e r , an old word i n t h e English language, dates b s t e r .
back t o the days of r ing Alfred who m o t e i n 888:
Sa unrihtwisa Neron wolde ha tan h i s agenne maigister acwellan. 48
The term, used of any teacher, was borrowed from the Latin magister, meaning
chief or d i rec tor , from magip, meanirg more.
chaq,ed t o m i s t e r .
In Liddle E n Q i s h the form -
Xot u n t i l medieval times did master a s an educationai term begin
t o assure the connotation *ich it has t o w .
denoted so le degree conferred.
were along t h e l i rss of a mdieva l c r a f t guild, did not r e t a i n the terms
A t f irst the t i t l e of master
The ea r ly univers i t ies , established as they the
f o r the two lower c lass i f ica t ions - of workers, apprentice and jo.xneyman, but
47 James h r r a y , 2 - c i t .
James %urray, - - op. c i t .
Vol . 6 , p. 212.
48 Vol. 3, p. 149.
22
did make use of the highest c1assification;that of master.
student had completed tE.e number of courses required by h i s academic guild,
%hen the
he presented himself t o be examined i n order t h e he might obtain a l icense
t o teach. 'After successfully completing the examination, t h e student then
beome a master teacner and, l i ke t h e master shoemaker or the master goldsmith,
was permitted t o practice h i s trade. This examination was
a public t r i a l , and tool: t he form of a public disputat ion on some s ta ted thesis... It v a s the student's "masterpiece", analogous t o the masterpiece of any other gui ld , and he submitted it t o a jury of t h e masters of h i s 'craft. 49
Other forms of medieval t o r tu re , the Iron k i d e n , t h e rack, the Spanish
Inquisit ion, t b t r ia l by ordea1;have l 0 i : L since f a l l e n in to disropute in
thi .s modern humane age, but not s o the ora l t r i a l by to r tu re f o r students
asp i r ing t o t he degree of rzaster.
. Eachelor. Not u n t i l t h e f i f teen t l i century did a degree minor t o tha t
of master become established. ~50 During the preceding century a student
a s s i s t i ng the masters but continuing h i s s tudies came t o :le h o v m as a
baccalaweas. Though some author i t ies s t a t e or irrply t h a t the bachelor's
degree i s an adaptation of the word baccalareate, t he reverse i s probably
t rue.
berry, and laurus, laurel .
corrupted form of baccalar is and is under the influence of the Latin laurus,
laurel .
51
Lost cer ta in ly baccalareate can be sa id t o be a ombination of baoca -J
Even Vlebster s t a t e s t ha t b a o c a l a u r a i s a
Immediately there appears the vis ion of a laurel-crowned, tr iunphant
youth clutching his diploma i n his hand. However, the word baooalarems does
49 Ellmod P. Cubberly, op. c i t . , p. 222.
50
51 Ellwood Cuhberley, op. - cit . , p. 222.
- - Paul bunroe, op. e., p. 222.
23
not appear i n c l a s s i ca l Latin, and the ear ly forms i n Uedieval Latin appear
using bachel - as t h e i n i t i a l syl lables , f o r example, bachelerius i n 1202'
meaning a young squire. 52
words &.similar meaning from 1200 u n t i l 1400, the date they p s s e d cut of
__ This spe l l ing i s used qui te consis tent ly in
use.
except one, begin with bachel - from 1200, t h e e a r l i e s t date given, un t i l
1373, at which time the spe l l ing change's t o baccal - and continues thus
until 1549, the l a s t date given.
On t h e other hand, a change occurs in the-academic wcrds. These words,
Now t he word bacheler was def in i t e ly wr i t ten i n English i n 1297,
Syre zong bacheler ... thow art strong and courageus
as meaning a young knight, a novice i n arms. Langley i n 1362 wrote,
I sauh t h e r Bisschops and Bachilers of diuyn ,
and Chaucer i n 1386 uses the word as a "Bacheler of Baccalaureate
i s not used i n English u n t i l 1625 as'lthe degries of baccalawreatt". 54
Therefore, it would seem that the English and Old French word
bacheler,meaning "jeune gentilhorme asp i ran t 'a devenir chevalier " 55 i n t he
tvrelfth century Chanson de Roland, became Latinized by the scholars as
bachelerius since a l l scholarly wri t ing had t o be i n Latin. I n soma way,
fium t h e s imi l a r i t y of sound or from a deliberate.pun on words, bachelerius
became baccalaureus.
because a similar Cel t ic word presents grave d i f f i cu l t i e s . Be t h a t a s it
may, t he term bachelor's degree i s undoubtedly be t t e r etymclogically than
- -
The or ig in of t h e Old French word bacheler is uncertain 56
52
53
54
55
J.H.Baxter and Charles Johnson, Medieval Latin Word-List (London, Oxford University Press= -9.
Janes Murray,
Ib id p. 607. -0 1
Oscar Bloch, op. c i t . p. 59.
2. G., Vol. 1, p. 608.
-I
56 Ibid., p. 59.
24
baccalaureate degree.
baccalaureate sermon is a usage d. is t inct ly of American origin.
There seems t o be no question of +he f a c t t h a t
Doctor. blaster, doctor, and professor 57 were synon~?r,cus terms i n
In England the term m s t e r came t o be preferred, the ea r ly univers i t ies .
while i n Germany doctor, meanhg the same leve l of achievement as m s t e r , i, 58
passed in to general usage.
because the word rnaster, signifying a teacher, had been i n use as f a r back
a s the days of King Alfred.
The E n Q i s k i prefererce is eas i ly understood '
The f i r s t colleges established i n Anerica, quite natural ly , followed
the English plan and offered two deerees, those of bachelor and master.
During the l a s t half of the nineteenth century when Germany began t o exer t
a ra ther wide influence on American education, the degree of doctor was
superimposed upon the English plan.
&,.erica was collferred a t Harvard in 1873.
%e f i rs t doctor's degree granted in 59
Thy is the dootor's degree wr i t ten Ph. D., Doctor of Philosophy?
The medieval G e m n univers i t ies included four departments - theology, law,
medicine, and philosophy, 6o
added a l l t h e new studies and sciences
curriculum of a modern university.
any of t he new studies became a Doctor of Dhilosophy.
t he term without t he background.
and t o the department of philosophy were
nhich f o r m the major par t of the
Hence a student receivin, a degree i n
America borrowed
The word doctor came in to the lan$uage during the Kiddle English
period as doctour from the Old French word of ident ical spel l ing which was
Paul lionroe, op. cit . , p. 322.
Ellwood P. Cubberley, op. s., John A. Waals, op. cit . , p. 53.
Frederick Eby and Charles browood, op. c i t .
John A. % a l z , op. cit . , p. 53.
57
58 59
60
61
- - p. 223. -
-I
p. 1 2 . - - - -
25
derived f r o m the Latin doctor, a teacher, f rom docere, doctum, t o teach.
A doctrine, then, is a teaching, and a docile chi ld i s etymologically a
teachable ra ther than a t r ac t ab le or governable child.
26
T I E RISE Ah9 DECLI1;E OF TEP.l'JNOLOGY
To show how a word comes into use i n educational terminology, a
modern word, correlat ion, was selected because suf f ic ien t sowce m t e r i a l s
mre avai lable and a l so f o r the reason that the term has almost become
supplanted by a word whose educational meaning does not appear i n the 1944
ed i t ion of Vebster's Dictionarx. - Correlation. Although the word correlat ion, from the flew Latin
correlatioh from - cor -, meaning together with, and r e l a t i o , a bringing back, 62
was used i n England as ear ly a s 1561 , t h e educational use of t he term
seems t o have originated i n America, f o r a s ye t i t s educational usage does
not appear i n the dict ionaries of England.
Undoubtedly one of tile f i rs t t o use cor re la t ion as an educational 63
term was Charles McbIurray, who i n 1890 said:
Less than f i f t y years ago t h a t whole region of country which we c a l l the Rocky Kountain system WBS an unknown land, unexplored, a vast f i e l d f o r future explora- t i o n and work. The subject of concentration or co-relation of s tudies i n r e l a t i o n t o the present t h e o r j of education occupies such a posit ion ... The t w o words concentration and co-relation of s tudies are indefini te and %certain t o m o s t of us.
In the course of h i s a r t i c l e he sham t h e r e l a t ion '3etmen his tory and
geography, concluding w i t h ,
From t h i s you may understand wha t we mean by co-relation; tha t i s , the association of studies, the billding together of a l l the parts.
_ - James Dlurray, op.-cit., Vol . 2 , p. 1016.
62
63 Charles McLWray, "The Correlation of Subjects in Elecientary Programs", Journal of Proceedings and Addresses of the National Education z s o c i a t i o n ( S t x u l , PioneerTress , 1890)
- V o l a 30, pp. 208-209.
25
This i s r e a l l y the exact l i t e r a l meaning of t h e Latin word cor re la t io , a
bringing back together, i n t h i s case of bodies of knowledge which were f e l t
t o have become too divergent and specialized.
T h a t the term created quite a s t i r causing a g r o a t deal of controversy
and educational verbiage i s shown by the f a c t t h a t i n 1894 the Ih t iona l
Education Association appointed a cormnittee t o report on correlation. In
the report o f t h e committee the following year t he word had assumed grandiose
pr opor ti ons :
Your committee understands by correlat ion of study 1. Logical &der af Tropics and ::ranches, 2. Symnetrical Whole of Studies i n the World of Hman Learning, 3. 4. Correlation of the Pupil 's Course of Study with t h e World i n Which He Lives - H i s Sp i r i t ua l and Natural Environment.
Regarding t h e idea of coi.Eelation presented by Charles LTckrray i n 1890, the
committee s ta ted t h a t
Psychological Synmietry - The Thole Lind,
64
The cor re la t ion of geography and history... w i l l stand i n the way of t rue objective correlation.
Rowwer, i n the saxe meeting the opinion of the Cormnittee PILLS contradicted
by N.C. S c h e f f e r who said:
When a ' pupil i s studying the his tory of Greece under one ins t ruc tor , it is w i s e , a t t h e same time t o concentrate study upon the geograph of t h a t country i n t h e geography class. 6%
- 64 "Report of t he Sub c@nnittee on the Correlation of Studies i n Elementary Education", Journal of Proceedin s and Addresses of t h e a t i o n a l Education B s s o c i a t E n d p K e e r - ~ e ~ ~ o l . 34, p. 287.
65 N.C.Schaeffer, "Correlation of Studies i n a Normal School".
Ibid p. 321. -e*
28
.8y 1896 the word correlat ion was beoomiq more firmly established
and more s tab le i n meaning. Says Frank IIlokrray i n t h a t year:
Kumerous words have been used as apparent synonyms for corre la t ion as concentration, co-ordinati on, and unif i - cation. But notwithstanding t h i s confusion of terms, t h e cen t r a l notion ini-olved i n each is t h a t of relationship. .. Attempt% t o r e l a t e studies... a r e not only possible but highly desirable; t h a t ins t ruc t ion whioh does not ac tua l ly under- take these relat ionships i s lamntably weak. 66
An abundance of a r t i c l e s and books prove t h a t correlat ion was indeed popular
f o r t h e next th i r ty- f ive years.
Integration.
English language t o 1620,67
closer type of r e l a t ion between subjects than was implied by correlation.
The choioe i s etymologically correct , for t h e word i s derived from the Latin
intagrare, t o make whole or complete, The word integer in mathematics i s
a derivative of t h e same Latin word. In the 1944 edi t ion of Webster's
Dictionary, in tegra t ion i s defined as a term of c i v i l engineorin6, economics,
mathematics, psychology, and sociology, but the eduoatiollal meaning has not
yet gained entrance.
About 1930 the term integrat ion, dating back i n the
began t o be applied educationally t o mean a
In the educational writ ings of 1930 integrat ion mkes its appearance.
Gladys Stackhouse" in an a r t i c l e e n t i t l e d "Integration of A r t Works with
other School Subjects" uses integrat ion as a synonym f o r correlat ion, t h e
Frank & b r a y , "Some Applications of Correlation", Journal of Proceedin s and Addresses of t h e National Education Association V h 4 nlv%=ty of Ch icazs i - . V o l a 35, p. 529.
66
James Uurray, op. o i t . , Vol. 5, p. 367. 67 - -
Gladys Stackhouse, "Integration of A r t Work With %her School 68
Subjects", Addresses &&3 Proceedings of t h e National Education Association. (Washing=, D.C . , N a t i o ~ l ~ u c a t i o n Association, 1930), Vol. 68, p. 460-463.
29
word cor re la t ion appearing nine times i n the a r t i c l e and integrat ion but
once except f o r the t i t l e .
Integrated Type of Classroom Activity" advances a clearer conception of
t h e term:
I n the same year Els ie Cleverdonijg in "A Bore
A closer integrat ion of work i n the grades beccrmes necessary i f t h e ch i ld i s t o understand very ea r ly i n h i s school experience the importance t o him of each subject taught.
I n my of t he following year, 1931, S i r John Adam7* wri tes :
A t present there is a strong movement towards unif icat ion of work i n schools... As might be expected the m o s t log ica l race on ear th , t he French, were f i rs t t o r ea l i ze the scrappiness of t h e current educational courses, and t o s e t about seeking some means of introducing order in to the general confu- sion. The new ideal they have s e t up i s usually bown as I n t e g r a l i w , and the English speaking nations have adopted the name, tho I a m interested t o note the r i s e of a new term i n I t a l i a n educational writ ing, Totalitario.. . The r ig id separation of d i f fe ren t par ts of the school curriculum in to independent "sub6ects" has been p r h a p s t h e prime cause for t h e "sfreds and patches" aspect of our presezt courses.
The next nonth, June, a hope economist71 s t a t e s :
We are facing a new scholast ic reform- integrated programs. An integrated program brings t o the chi ld the varied in t e re s t s of l i f e , not a s separate, unrelated l i nes of thought but re la ted t o and bound up w i t h a l l t h e other a c r i v i t i e s of h i s home-school world.
E ls ie L. Cleverdon, "A bore Integrated Type of Classroom 69
Activity", Ibid., p.457. - 70
S i r John Adams, "The Librarian as an' In tegra l i s t " , Libraries, Vola 36 (May, 1931), pp. 193-194.
l!argaret Backus, "Integrated Prograas and Home Economics", Vol . 23 (June, 1931) pp. 538-539.
71
Journal of Home Economics, --
30
72 The following month, July, 1931, Aymer Iiamilton adds:
.There is nothing new o r mysterious about integrat ion i n education. It i s probably another name f o r i n t e l l i gen t procedure or j u s t plain common sense.
The colleges, t o o , f e l t a need f o r a c loser r e l a t ion between subjects, and
hence, a s a r e s u l t , integrated courses were organized.
An examination of the Educational Index reveals how t e r m wax and.
The only a r t i c l e dealing with integrat ion i n the 1929-1932 volume
- wane.
of t he Educational Index appears a s an entry under the heading 'dorrelat ion
of school subjects ' , t h i s a r t i c l e , "Integrating the Special Studies",
published i n January, 1932, being the e a r l i e s t a r t i c l e dealing w i t h integra-
t i o n i n the Index. Thir ty a r t i c l e s of a general nature concerning oorrelation
are l i s t e d , and under each subject taught i n school an averabe of t e n
a r t i c l e s on cor re la t ion appears.
t o be wr i t ten concerning integration, and i n the 1932-1935 volume of t he
Index there is a heading 'Integrated Curriculum. See Correlation of school
subjeots' .
cor re la t ion heading along with numerous a r t i c l e s on correlation.
-
-
During the next th ree years a r t i c l e s began
- Twenty a r t i c l e s on in tegra t ion appear l i s t e d under t h e
In t h e Educational Index of 1935-1939 for the f i r s t t i n e integrat ion - appears a s a heading, forty-two a r t i c l e s being l i s ted . Under t h e heading
'Correlation of school subjects ' there appears a note t o 'See a l so Integra-
t ion ' .
t he inte,ration l i s t i n g . In t h e 1938-1941 Index, f i f tv-nine en t r ies appear
under the in tegra t ion heading and only nine under the correlat ion division,
However, no cross reference t o cor re la t ion appears a t the end of
-
72 Aymer J. Har?ilton, "Integratior? i n Education': Kddresses and -
Proceedings of t h e National Education Association (lilashington D.C., Natiomy m o a t i o n Association, 1931), Vol. 69, p. 447.
31
a t t h e end of which again appears the note, 'See a l s o Integration' .
However, i n the more genertil index, t h e Reader's Guide t o Periodical
Li terature , as yet no articles have been l i s t e d under integration; t he re is
merely a heading 'Integrated Curriculum. See Correlation' fo r a r t i c l e s
published even as late as 1945.
----
32
Diploma. If a d ip lom i s ro l led and t i e d with the school colors,
i s it s t i l l a diploma? Etymologically it i s not. The word i s derived from
the Greek diploma, meaning a paper folded double, fror.1 diploun, t o double,
from diploos, two fold.
ea r ly as 1665,73 hence our words diplomcy, diplomat, S tp lomt ic . Not
u n t i l about f o r t y years l a t e r did the word come t o be used i n i t s educational
sense, and shor t ly thereaf te r America adopted the term.
I n England the term was applied t o state papers as
Semester. Students t o whom a semester seems lergthy would indeed
th ink s o if a senester adhered to%he l i t e ra l mear.ing of the word. Semester,
borrowed about 1827 74 without change from the Gerran, i s an adaptation of
t he Latin adjective, semestris meaning half-yearly, from sex,six, and mensis,
month. The word applied t o a scholast ic half year meant a period of
-
eighteen weeks.
semester seems t o have been purely an sducational word, but not s o with the
ad jec t ive senestral .
semester by more than one hundred yeurs has a1wa;s ‘had the connotation of
a six months period. Such d i s t inc t ion i s not made i n h e r i c a .
From the t im of i t s introduction down t o the present,
I n England t h i s adject ive which antedated the use of
Some schools have t h e academic year divided i n t o quarters ra ther
than semesters, and probably a forerurner of t he quarter system was the
in te res t ing d iv is ion of t he English school year a t Cambridge Vniversity
i n t o the hichaelmas Term, t he L e n t Term, and t h e Easter Term. 75
73
74 Ibid Vol. 8, p. 435.
75 J.G.Fitch, z., p. iii.
James Xurrar., op. s., V o l . 3, p. 385. - -*
3
Curriculum. Originally curriculum meant a race course followed by
horses; today it i s a slow course followed by humans.
curriculum, from currere t o rim 0; hasten, was adopted without modification,
but t he idea of speed and swiftness inherent i n the Latin term wax not
re ta ined i n the English course of stvdies. - It is in te res t ing t o note t h a t
t he seldor. used word, cur r ic le , a t present marling a l i g h t , %vro wheeled
carria&meant a t one t i n e a short course.
consis tent , imiead of sayirg a short course for bar.d students or a home
economics. sh?r t course, we should say a cu r r i c l e f o r barid students and a
hane economics curr iole .
The Latin word
-.-
Therefore, if we T-ould be
< >
I I
The word curriculum was used i n the Latin writ ings of the univers i t ies -- i n the ear ly par t of - the seventeenth c e n t ~ ~ , ~ ~ par t icu lar ly a t the
University of G l a s g m , but even by 1910 the word had s t i l l not become
naturalized i n England. On the other hand, even though the word was not
used fr? Amerioa u n t i l about 1880,77 it soon becams s o much a part' of the
language t h a t the adject ive extra - curr icu lar was formed t o denote those
a c t i v i t i e s which form a part of the l i f e of t h e student but not a p r t of
t h e regular courses of study, suck ac t ivSt ies a3 debating, d ramt ic s , ard
a th le t ics . AltE.ol-;h t h e tern: ektra-curricular a o t i v i t i e s is widely used
i n schools of secondary and colleGe level; i t s use i s beicg discontinued
i n the elementary schools, f o r i n these schools t he curriculum is coming
t o mean a l l t he experiences offered by the school, a t h l e t i c s , plays, and
the l i k e being considered an in tegra l par t of school l i f e .
is the f a c t that the only meaning of the adject ive curr icular
is pertaining t o driving o r t o carriages.
-
----,-I --__
Of i n t e re s t
i n Ehglard -
- 76 James Kurray, op. cit. , Vol. 2 , p. 1271.
77
- - W i l l i a m A. Cra ig ie , ' 2 . tit., vol. 2, p. 701.
34
Seminar. Professors who conduct seminars are and of necessity must
be extremely carelful i n t h e i r work, f o r they tend seed-plats.
borrowed outr ight from the German, seminar i s an adaptation of t he Lat in
s en ina r im meaning seed-plot, fron seD.en, seminis, seed. The word seems t o
have been used i n America pr ior t o i t s introduction in to England. Probably
the f i r s t seminar i n an American univers i ty was held i n his tory a t the
University of Lichigan i n 1071 by Professor Charles Kendall ad an?^.^^ 1889 79 t he word m s ir use a t Harvard, and i n the s m e ye2.r A.S.Bil.1
writ ing an a r t i c l e errtitl-d "Colloauial &@ish" f o r IIarper's .SPa;;azine s ta ted:
A word
-
In
I n New York and Washin&tcm "seminors" are held a t which a clever aroman coaches other clever women i n p o l i t i c a l , l i t e r a r y , and e th ica l top ics of the day. 80
By 1892 a2 there ms a seminar a t Oxford i n comection with an economics
course, but t he word was l i s t e d as unnaturalized in 1910 i n EnglaEd.
Cornencement. Is not cmencement an odd designation f o r the action.
of receiving a degree i n token of having completed the prescribed courses
a t an i n s t i t u t ion?
beginning, from, t h e assmed Late Latin cominitiare Domthe Latin com,
together, and i n i t i a r e , t o begin, conm;encenient was used i n England i n 1250
t o mean a begbning. Not u n t i l a century and a half l a t e r did the term come
t o be used in the educational sense.
Derived from the Old French cornencement, meaning a
- ---
Ey a s t a t u t e of the university he schal not spend a t h i s conmencezert t h e thmisand of grootes turonens. Sg
assyage
John A. Wlz , op. c i t . , p. 53.
W i l l i a m A.Craigie, op. G., Vol. 4, p. 2066.
- - 7%
79 - A.S.Hil1, "Colloguial English", Harper's hagazine, Vol. 78 (January, 1889), p. 273.
82
83
Jams %ray, - op. g., Vol. 8, p. 422. James kurray, 2. g., Vol. 2, p. 672-673.
35
Ey 1587 another term had &isen, f o r
I n Oxford t h i s solemnitie i s cal led an Act, but i n Cambridge they vse the L?rench word Bomensement. 84
The Act took place ear ly i n July, t he graduates discussing themes on
Saturday and Eonday while the intervening day was known as A c t Sunday, and
Act Sermons were preached. Today, strangely enough, Cambridge, ra ther than
Oxford, i s t h e only school employing the term, and there it applies only t o
the thesis and exminat ion of candidates f o r the doctor's degree i n Divinity,
Law, and kedicine. It is in te res t ing t o note t h a t both terms, Act, and
conmencement, were t ransferred 40 Ameri.ca, for i n 1643 a Xew Englander v r i t e s :
c
So have they l a t e l y kept two solemne Acts f o r t h e i r Conr.en~ernent.'~
Although it i s a f a c t tht the term Act has been dropped and conniencerfient
retained, the reason "Ihy a cmenoenent was so naned in the f i rs t place i s
not eiplained.
conmencement or ig ina l ly meant t he conferring of the m s t e r ' s degree only
I
The: only plausible explacation seeris t o be t h a t since a
and since the degree m s a l icense t o teach, the receivin; of the degree
meant t h e beginnhg of a teaching career.
Graduation. Is graduation an accepted sTJr,onp f o r cormencet-ent?
Dictionaries published i n England s t a t e t h a t t he term i s s o used in Scotland
and the United States , but American d ic t ionar ies , instead of defining the
educatlor,al use of graduation, refer t he reader t o coomencenent. Thus it
would seem t h a t com.encement i s the preferred term i n America today, t he
dict ionaries of England notwithstanding. The term graduating class -'
I
84 Ibid. -
85 William A.Craigie , op. ci t . , Vo l . 1, p. 570. - -
31
however. is of accepted usabe i n knerica, havirig Originated here ir, the
ear ly part of t h e nireteenth century.
noun graduate m s broader*ed t o include those who had completed the courses
a t a school of lower rartk thax a college.
by 1773, f o r i n +'.at year it was sa id that i n Philadelphia " the i r academy
emits from nine t o fourteen graduates
i s the English lan6ua.ge ! Commenoement i s preferable t o graduation, but,
instead of a graduate or a graduatkg c lass , who vrould th ink of saying 'a
cm.ence' or la c m e n c i n g class '?
Also in America the meaning of the
This meankg was well established
How indeed inconsistent
-
Alumnus. America is responsible for t he introduction of the word
alumnus in to t h e English language, t h e term "Alumnus t o such an Alma L t e r "
being used as ear ly as 1696.87
an exact duplicate of t h e Latin alumnus meaning a nurseling o r fos te r son,
American colleges had begun by 1882 t o use alumna Blso, t he Latin word f o r
a foster daughter.
naturalized i n England.
Not content with borrowing t h e word a l m u s ,
Nevertheless, not even by 1910 had e i the r word become
Campus. A n American word not even l i s t e d i n the d jc t icnar ies of
EnLland i s campus, f i r s t used a t Princeton i n 1774
"made a f i r e i n the Camps".
word, describing a new game a s a "play with balls and s t i cks i n the back
campus of t he college".
o r plain as distinguished from - nemw rneaning woodland.
has become thoroughly Americanized i s the f a c t that the word is also a n
accepted verb, meaning t o punish by confinement t o the campus.
where the students
9y 1787 Princeton had ceased t o cap i ta l ize the
The word is t h e Latin word, campus, meaning f i e l d
Proof that campus
- W i l l i a m A.Craigie, op. c i t . , Vol . 2 , p.1158. - -
87 Willian LCra ig i e , .op. c i t Vol. 1, p. 36.
88 Ibid., p. 401.
- -9,
-
37
FINAL W R D
Is t h e educational system performing i t s fw-ction of real ly
educating the students?
i n the one word, educate.
meaning t o lead for th , t o draw out.
word i s not, t o coin a term, Iperfracte ' from perfractus meaning beat
i n to nor is it 'exposite' f rom expositus meaning expound, 'out educate,
d r a w out, lead for th . The word educate r i i h t l y places tl:e focus of
a t t e n t i o n upon the student. Do a l l members of the school personnel
r e a l l y make an honest e f fo r t t o educate the boys and g i r l s ?
An e n t i r e philosophy of education i s contained
Educate i s derived from the Latin word educere
Teachers should remember t h a t the
38
IhDSDM OF WOFtDS
acadmy Act alumna alumnus baccalaureate bachelor canpus college cornencement correlat ion curriculum degree diplcrms doctor educate e lament ary a c hool extra-curricular facul ty glamour grade graduation grammar m a s iuni high school in tegra t ion j a n i t o r
. junior high Idcdergart en lyceum master masterpiece normal school pedagogue primry prinoipal pr inciple pupil school secondary school semester ssminar stadium student super intendent supe rd sor teach teacher technical school
. universi ty
Page
14 35 36 36 22 22 36 17 34 26 33 21 32 24 37 10 33 5
16 ' 11 35 14 13 16 28 7
17 9
14 21 22 1 9 3 12 4 5 2 9
12 32 34 14 2 6 7 3 3
1-9 17
39
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Backus, bkrgaret, "Integrated Programs and Home Economics," Journal of Home -- Economics, Vol . 23 (June, 1931).
Barr, A. S., Burton, W i l l i a m H., and Brueckner, Leo J., Supervision (New York, D. Appleton-Centu-y Company, 1938).
Baxter, J. H. and Johnson, Charles, hkdieval Lat in Word L i s t (London, W o r d --- University Press , 1934).
Bloch, Oscar, Dictionnaire logique de l a Langue Franvaise (Par is , Les Presses Universit% de FranZ,T9-
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Cleverdon, E l s i e L., "A Nore Integrated Type of Classroom Activity': Addresses of t h e National Education Association (wisshington, m u x i o n Association, 1930).
'Craigie, W i l l i a m A,, A Dictiona of Am&-icpn English on Hi s to r i ca l Pr inciples (Chicago, U%versr + . y of m i c a g o Pres-r
CubbeYley, Ellwood P., Public Education in t h e United S ta tes (New York, - Houghton Miff l in Company, 19347; -
Cubberley, Ellwood P., The History of Education (New York, Houghton Xifflin - C q a n y , 1920).
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Ehcyclopaedia Britannicr, Fourteenth Edition (New York, &'cyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 1938).
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Graves, Frank Pierrepont, A Hi s tozy of Education (New York, Macmillan - - Company, 1913).
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40
UcIiwray, Frank, “Some Applications of Correlation,” Journal of Proceedings and Addresses of the National Education Association7Chicag0, University of Chicago Press, 1896). - --
l!onroe, Paul, History of Education (New York, Whxnillan C o m p a n y , 1905).
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Tucker, T. G., A Concise Et ological Dictiona of Latin (Iialle, Germany, hrras,- h i i i i - -
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6
is, a l l t he knowledge and skill surrounding that branch of learning
hawn as Law.
vmre conferred i n the Faculty of Law.
for an American t o grasp since the connotation of a person mst be en-
A n analogous American term is School of Law.. Degrees
The European meaning i s d i f f i c u l t
- t i r e l y dissociated from the word.
ing, had been i n use in the Latin writ ings of t h e univers i t ies f o r more
than two hundred years before the word was used in English.
A facul ty , meaning a branch of learn-
During the th i r t een th century the tern a l s o came t o be applied t o
t h e whole body of m s t e r s , doctors, and sometimes students i n any one of
the main d e p a r h m t s of l earn ing 'a t t h e univers i t ies .
t h i s meaning, there developed in America durirg the eighteenth century the
use of the word facul ty t o denote t h e head and teaching force of an in-
stituticm or schdol.
As an outgrowth of
This meaning has not been adopted i n England.
America, too, is responsible f o r the term facul ty meeting. Even
i n 1839 it was t r u e that
The professors form a body denominated t h e Faculty, and conduct t he government of t h e i n s t i t u t i o n by regulations and laws established by themmlvesl&rt 'Faculty meet- ings' from time t o time.
Superintendent. Although the word superintendent, in t h e senae of
an overseer of workman, was used i n England as ea r ly as 1588', its use as
813 educational term originated in America'shartly after 1800, f o r i n 1812
t h e first S ta t e Superintendent of Coxunon Schools mas created i n the United
States.
10
11 W i l l i a m A. Craigie, op. cit., Vol, 2, p. 919.
James Eurray, 2. z., Vol. 9, p. 183.
- -
