Etymograph

English

philippic

Philippic comes from Ancient Greek Φίλιππος ‘lover of horses’.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEΦίλιππος1Phílippos‘lover of horses’
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφιλιππικός1philippikós
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEphilippicus1
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1811philippic1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English philippic
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1811, Jane Austen, London: […] C[harles] Roworth: “Mrs. Ferrars looked exceedingly angry, and drawing herself up…”.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEΦίλιπποςWiktionary, English philippicPhílippos‘lover of horses’
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφιλιππικόςWiktionary, English philippicphilippikós
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEphilippicusWiktionary, English philippic
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1811philippicWiktionary, English philippic. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1811, Jane Austen, London: […] C[harles] Roworth: “Mrs. Ferrars looked exceedingly angry, and drawing herself up…”

A compound of φίλος ‘loving’ + ἵππος ‘horse’

Proto-Indo-European *bʰil- ‘harmonious, friendly’

Ancient Greek φίλος ‘loving’

Proto-Indo-European *h₁éḱwos ‘horse’

Proto-Hellenic *íkkʷos ‘horse’

Ancient Greek ἵππος ‘horse’

Every English word from Ancient Greek Φίλιππος

Today it means

noun Any of the discourses of Demosthenes against Philip II of Macedon, defending the liberty of Athens.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “philippic”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek Φίλιππος / philippic

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