grammar: [14] Etymologically, grammar is the ‘art of letters’. The word comes via Anglo- Norman gramere, Old French gramaire, and Latin grammatica from Greek grammatiké, a noun use of the adjective grammatikós ‘of letters’ (whence English grammatical [16]). This was a derivative of the noun grámma ‘something written’, hence ‘letter of the alphabet’, which was related to the verb gráphein ‘write’ (source of English graphic) and also gave English gram and the suffix -gram that appears in a wide range of English words, from anagram and diagram to telegram and kissagram. => glamour, gram, graphic
grammar (n.)
late 14c., "Latin grammar, rules of Latin," from Old French gramaire "grammar; learning," especially Latin and philology, also "(magic) incantation, spells, mumbo-jumbo" (12c., Modern French grammaire), an "irregular semi-popular adoption" [OED] of Latin grammatica "grammar, philology," perhaps via an unrecorded Medieval Latin form *grammaria. The classical Latin word is from Greek grammatike (tekhne) "(art) of letters," referring both to philology and to literature in the broadest sense, fem. of grammatikos (adj.) "pertaining to or versed in letters or learning," from gramma "letter" (see -gram). An Old English gloss of it was stæfcræft (see staff (n.)).
A much broader word in Latin and Greek; restriction of the meaning to "systematic acount of the rules and usages of language" is a post-classical development. Until 16c. limited to Latin; in reference to English usage by late 16c., thence "rules of a language to which speakers and writers must conform" (1580s). Meaning "a treatise on grammar" is from 1520s. For the "magic" sense, compare gramary. The sense evolution is characteristic of the Dark Ages: "learning in general, knowledge peculiar to the learned classes," which included astrology and magic; hence the secondary meaning of "occult knowledge" (late 15c. in English), which evolved in Scottish into glamour (q.v.).
A grammar-school (late 14c.) originally was a school for learning Latin, which was begun by memorizing the grammar. In U.S. (1842) the term was put to use in the graded system for a school between primary and secondary where English grammar is one of the subjects taught. The word is attested earlier in surnames (late 12c.) such as Robertus Gramaticus, Richard le Gramarie, whence the modern surname Grammer.
实用例句
1. He was known for his poor grammar and punctuation.
他不通语法和乱用标点是出了名的。
来自柯林斯例句
2. At his grammar school he is remembered for being bad at games.
在文法学校他因不善于玩游戏为大家所熟知。
来自柯林斯例句
3. He is in the third year at Leeds Grammar School.
他在利兹文法学校念3年级。
来自柯林斯例句
4. Modern word processors usually have spelling checkers and even grammar checkers.
现代文字处理器通常带有拼写检查功能，有的还有语法检查功能。
来自柯林斯例句
5. "Grandma "pronounced as "grammar"is an example of assimilation.
