Etymograph

English

theology

Theology comes from Ancient Greek θεολογέω, from Koine Greek θεολόγος ‘one who speaks of God and the divine nature, a…’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-1‘to do’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰéh₁s1‘god, godhead, deity’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁sós1reconstructed
  4. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*tʰehós1‘god, deity’reconstructed
  5. Koine Greekc. 300 BCE–600 CEθεός2‘a deity’
  6. Koine Greekc. 300 BCE–600 CEθεολόγος2‘one who speaks of God and the divine nature, a theologian’
  7. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEθεολογέω3theologéō
  8. Koine Greekc. 300 BCE–600 CEθεολογία2theología
  9. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtheologia2
  10. Old Frenchc. 842–1400theologie2
  11. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600theologie2
  12. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500theologie2
  13. Englishearliest quotation 1896theology2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek θεός
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English theology
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek θεολογία
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1896, William Newton Clarke, Immortality: “Theology is a study, but religion is an experience.…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek θεός‘to do’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰéh₁sWiktionary, Ancient Greek θεός‘god, godhead, deity’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁sósWiktionary, Ancient Greek θεόςreconstructed
  4. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*tʰehósWiktionary, Ancient Greek θεός‘god, deity’reconstructed
  5. Koine Greekc. 300 BCE–600 CEθεόςWiktionary, English theology‘a deity’
  6. Koine Greekc. 300 BCE–600 CEθεολόγοςWiktionary, English theology‘one who speaks of God and the divine nature, a theologian’
  7. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEθεολογέωWiktionary, Ancient Greek θεολογίαtheologéō
  8. Koine Greekc. 300 BCE–600 CEθεολογίαWiktionary, English theologytheología
  9. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtheologiaWiktionary, English theology
  10. Old Frenchc. 842–1400theologieWiktionary, English theology
  11. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600theologieWiktionary, English theology
  12. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500theologieWiktionary, English theology
  13. Englishearliest quotation 1896theologyWiktionary, English theology. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1896, William Newton Clarke, Immortality: “Theology is a study, but religion is an experience.…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’

do, fact, deal, hot, defense, fan, benefit, fashion, feature, mid, defence, custom, sufficient, treasury, theme, treasure, ethnic, defendant, ethical, doom, tick, deed, aesthetic, thesis, synthetic, auditorium, auditor, demi, deem, spade, ethic, forfeit, familial, medial, ethos, medallion, prefect, certify, thematic, duma, 111 more

through Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁s ‘god, godhead, deity’

fair, feast, dis, feral, fanatic, profanity, profane, fane, fayre, 21 more

through Proto-Hellenic *tʰehós ‘god, deity’

polytheism, pantheism, 14 more

through Koine Greek θεός ‘a deity’

atheist, atheism, monotheism, theism, apotheosis, theist, 16 more

Today it means

noun The study of God, a god, or gods; and of the truthfulness of religion in general.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “theology”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek θεός, Ancient Greek θεολογία. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- / theology

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