Chrestomathic
/ˌkrɛstəˈmæθɪk/noun
Relating to a selection of passages or examples chosen for study, especially as a helpful anthology.
Did you know?Chrestomathic comes from Greek roots tied to χρηστός (chrestos, “useful, good”) and μάθημα (mathēma, “learning, knowledge”), the same root family that gave English words like mathematics and polymath.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
GRK
χρηστός + μάθημα
“useful, good + learning, knowledge”
Late Greek
GRK
χρηστομάθεια
“useful learning; instruction in useful subjects”
18th Century
FR/EN
chrestomathie / chrestomathy
“a selection of instructive literary passages”
19th Century
EN
chrestomathic
“pertaining to a chrestomathy or to useful learning”
Modern English
EN
chrestomathic
“relating to a collection of selected writings for study”
Explore more surprising origins