syntaxis

[sin-tak-sis]

noun

1. Geology.,  a point in a mountain range or group of geological folds where the dominant orientation changes abruptly.

2. Grammar, Older Use.,  syntax.

Word History and Origins

Origin of syntaxis¹

First recorded in 1535–45; from Late Latin, from Greek: literally, “arrangement in order,” equivalent to syntag- (stem of syntássein “to arrange together”; syntactic ) + -sis -sis

Example Sentences

“If I am your guest, I should at least be served tea and cookies,” said Ellen Jovin, a principal at Syntaxis, a New York City company that teaches businesses how to use written and spoken language more effectively.

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Ptolemy's greatest work was the "Megale Syntaxis," generally known as the Almagest.

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The real revival of Greek astronomy took place in the fourteenth century when scholars began to realize that new work in astronomy must be preceded by a thorough knowledge of the astronomy of the Alexandrian school as exhibited in the Syntaxis of Ptolemy.

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After Archimedes, the most notable result was that given by Ptolemy, in the "Great Syntaxis."

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After an eight-year study of the Syntaxis, Ptolemy's 13-volume collection of celestial observations, Robert R. Newton of the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University has concluded that Ptolemy faked his figures.

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