Topos
/ˈtoʊpɒs/noun
A place or location, especially in philosophy, rhetoric, or mathematics.
Did you know?In ancient rhetoric, a topos was a “place” in the mind where arguments could be stored and retrieved, which is why the word later helped shape how we talk about topics and commonplaces.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*tpeh₂-
“to tread; to step”
Ancient Greek
Greek
τόπος (tópos)
“place, spot, position”
Late Latin
Latin
topus
“place; rhetorical common place”
Old French
Old French
topos
“topic, commonplace”
Modern English
English
topos
“a recurrent theme or conventional motif; also a place in mathematics or philosophy”
Explore more surprising origins