PERMANENT SOURCE RECORD
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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 dictionarymw-icon
Icon — Definition, Word History, and First Known Use
- AUTHOR / EDITOR
- Merriam-Webster Editors
- YEAR
- 2026
- PUBLISHER
- Merriam-Webster
- DOI
- Not recorded
- SOURCE TYPE
- historical dictionary
- EXTERNAL RECORD
- OPEN ORIGINAL ↗
011
CONTRARIAN TRUTH CLAIMS
RANKED REVEALS THAT CITE THIS SOURCE
RANK 204GRADE A−supports
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
Word History note: Greek base uncertain; Lithuanian comparison doubtfulDirectly supports the secure Greek endpoint and honest boundary.
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.
Word History note: Greek base of uncertain origin; Lithuanian comparison doubtfulExplicitly limits deeper reconstruction.
opensupportsboundary
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.
Word History note: uncertain origin and doubtful Lithuanian comparisonExplicitly limits deeper reconstruction.
opensupportsprobable
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.
First Known Use: 1572Publishes the exact year.
resolvedcontextestablished
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.
Definitions and Word HistoryKeeps image and likeness central across the later senses.
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
Word History: Late Latin iconDocuments the English borrowing.
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
Word History: Late Latin borrowed from Greek eikōnDocuments the Greek 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
Word History note: uncertain origin and doubtful Lithuanian comparisonDirectly supports the boundary.
041
LEXICAL ATTESTATIONS
WITNESSES REPORTED BY THIS SOURCE
iconSOURCE-REPORTED
icon
Merriam-Webster source-reported English record
OPEN WITNESS 128 ↗051
COMPARATIVE EVIDENCE
COGNATES, DESCENDANTS, AND RELATIVES
icon
Englishsecond compound component
062
GEOGRAPHIC AND TEMPORAL CLAIMS
JOURNEY STAGES THAT CITE THIS SOURCE
stage 1supports
Greek and Roman linguistic worlds
Documents the Greek-to-Latin lexical route.
Word History: Late Latin īcōn from Greek eikōn · broadstage 2supports
England
Reports the exact English lexicographic horizon.
First Known Use: 1572 · regional070
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.