PERMANENT SOURCE RECORD
ALL SOURCES ↗BIBLIOGRAPHIC IDENTITYetymonline-icon
SOURCE
RECORD.
One work. Every claim that depends on it. No citation without a consequence you can inspect.
12 PUBLIC LINKS INTO THE GRAPH.
This count excludes duplicate dossier-path citations. Open the claims below to see exactly how the source is used.
historical dictionaryetymonline-icon
Icon — Origin and history
- AUTHOR / EDITOR
- Douglas Harper
- YEAR
- 2026
- PUBLISHER
- Online Etymology Dictionary
- DOI
- Not recorded
- SOURCE TYPE
- historical dictionary
- EXTERNAL RECORD
- OPEN ORIGINAL ↗
011
CONTRARIAN TRUTH CLAIMS
RANKED REVEALS THAT CITE THIS SOURCE
RANK 204GRADE A−context
The honest root of icon ends in uncertainty.
Icon securely reaches Greek eikōn “image, likeness.” A proposed deeper comparison is doubtful, so the most revealing answer is the boundary itself.
εἰκών
εἰκών → īcōn → icon
Headword history: Greek eikenai of uncertain originIndependently confirms the uncertainty.
icon dossier ↗truth record ↗79UNVEILING
024
SCHOLARLY DISAGREEMENT
DISPUTE POSITIONS THAT CITE THIS SOURCE
opensupportsboundary
Can icon be securely reconstructed beyond Greek eikōn?
Not from the reviewed evidence. Merriam-Webster calls the proposed deeper base uncertain and a Lithuanian comparison doubtful; Etymonline likewise stops at uncertain Greek prehistory.
Headword history: Greek eikenai of uncertain originIndependently supports the knowledge boundary.
opencontextboundary
Can Greek eikōn be securely reconstructed further?
Not from the reviewed evidence. Merriam-Webster calls the proposed base uncertain and the Lithuanian comparison doubtful; Etymonline likewise marks the Greek prehistory uncertain.
Headword history: Greek eikenai of uncertain originIndependently supports the boundary.
opencontextprobable
Does the English record begin in the 1570s or in 1572?
Merriam-Webster reports 1572; Etymonline reports the 1570s. The exact year fits within the broader decade but remains a source-reported horizon.
Headword history: 1570sPublishes the broader decade.
resolvedsupportsestablished
Are the sacred image, celebrity, and computer icon different etymological words?
No. They are semantic extensions within the image-and-likeness family; the later uses do not create separate ancestors.
Headword semantic chronology: religious, cultural, and computing sensesDocuments later semantic extensions under one lineage.
033
CANONICAL RELATIONSHIP CLAIMS
EDGES THAT CITE THIS SOURCE
EDGE 491supportsestablished
icon → īcōn
Present-Day English → Latin · borrowing
- SOUND
- English icon borrows Late Latin īcōn with English stress and vowel adaptation.
- MEANING
- Image and likeness extend into religious, symbolic, cultural, and computing senses.
- SCHOLAR / EDITOR
- Merriam-Webster · Etymonline editors
Headword history: Late Latin iconIndependently documents the route.
EDGE 492supportsestablished
īcōn → εἰκών
Latin → Ancient Greek · borrowing
- SOUND
- Late Latin īcōn borrows and adapts Greek eikōn.
- MEANING
- The representation, image, and likeness field remains central.
- SCHOLAR / EDITOR
- Merriam-Webster · Etymonline editors
Headword history: Greek eikonIndependently documents the source.
EDGE 493supportsboundary
εἰκών → UNKNOWN
Ancient Greek → Beyond secure reconstruction · knowledge boundary
- SOUND
- No older form is promoted beyond Greek eikōn because the proposed base is uncertain.
- MEANING
- The image-and-likeness family reaches a stated evidentiary horizon.
- SCHOLAR / EDITOR
- Merriam-Webster · Etymonline editors
Headword history: Greek eikenai of uncertain originIndependently supports the boundary.
040
LEXICAL ATTESTATIONS
WITNESSES REPORTED BY THIS SOURCE
No lexical witness currently cites this source.
052
COMPARATIVE EVIDENCE
COGNATES, DESCENDANTS, AND RELATIVES
062
GEOGRAPHIC AND TEMPORAL CLAIMS
JOURNEY STAGES THAT CITE THIS SOURCE
stage 3supports
Eastern Christian and English religious discourse
Documents the dated English religious-sense horizon.
Headword semantic history: Eastern Church sense from 1833 · broadstage 4supports
Global computing and culture
Documents the dated computing extension.
Headword semantic history: computing sense from 1982 · global070
NON-GENEALOGICAL CONNECTIONS
HISTORICAL CONTEXT, KEPT SEPARATE
No non-genealogical context link currently cites this source.
082
WORD-FAMILY REUSE
DOSSIERS THAT DEPEND ON THIS SOURCE
3 entry-scoped citations map reviewed dossier paths onto the canonical claims above.