Etymograph

English

topic

Topic comes from Latin topica, from Ancient Greek τοπικός ‘of commonplaces’, from τόπος ‘place’, whose earlier origin is uncertain.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτόπος1tópos‘a place’
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτοπικός1topikós‘pertaining to a place’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtopica1‘Topics (title of Aristotle’s work on commonplaces)’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1624topic1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English topic
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1624, Democritus Junior pseudonym; Robert Burt, The Anatomy of Melancholy: […]: “Amongst topics or outward medicines none are more precious…”.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτόποςWiktionary, English topictópos‘a place’
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτοπικόςWiktionary, English topictopikós‘pertaining to a place’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtopicaWiktionary, English topic‘Topics (title of Aristotle’s work on commonplaces)’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1624topicWiktionary, English topic. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1624, Democritus Junior pseudonym; Robert Burt, The Anatomy of Melancholy: […]: “Amongst topics or outward medicines none are more precious…”

Linked words

through Ancient Greek τόπος ‘a place’

utopia, dystopia, topiary, topos, 6 more

Today it means

adj topical

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “topic”. 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 τόπος / topic

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