syllabus

Meanings

1. A summary of topics which will be covered during an academic course, or a text or lecture.
2. The headnote of a reported case; the brief statement of the points of law determined prefixed to a reported case.

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin syllabus (“list”), which arose as a misprint, its accusative plural syllabos appearing in place of sittybas in a 1470s edition of Cicero's “Ad Atticum” IV.5 and 8. The corrupt form was influenced by the stem of Ancient Greek συλλαμβάνω (sullambánō, “put together”), the source of σῠλλᾰβή (sŭllăbḗ, “syllable”); the true etymon is σιττύβα (sittúba, “parchment label, table of contents”) [or σιττύβας (sittúbas)] of unknown origin.