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 (tekhnē) "(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 account 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.

grimoire (n.)magician's manual for invoking demons, 1849, from French grimoire, altered

from grammaire"incantation; grammar" (see grammar). Also compare gramary, glamour.

grammarian (n.)late 14c., "writer on (Latin) grammar; philologist, etymologist;" in general use,

"learned man," from Old French gramairien "wise man, person who knows Latin; magician"
(Modern French grammairien), agent noun from grammaire (see grammar).

grammatical (adj.)1520s, "of or pertaining to grammar," from Middle French grammatical and

directly from Late Latin grammaticalis "of a scholar," from grammaticus "pertaining to
grammar" (see grammar). Related: Grammatically (c. 1400).

gramary (n.)early 14c., gramarye, "grammar," also "learning, erudition," hence "magic,

enchantment" (late 15c.), a variant of grammar; perhaps from Old
French gramare, gramaire "grammar," also "book of conjuring or magic" (hence Modern
French grimaire "gibberish, incomprehensible nonsense"). Gramarye was revived by Scott ("Lay
of the Last Minstrel," 1805) in the "dark magic" sense.

glamour (n.)1720, Scottish, "magic, enchantment" (especially in phrase to cast the glamor), a

variant of Scottish gramarye "magic, enchantment, spell," said to be an alteration of
English grammar(q.v.) in a specialized use of that word's medieval sense of "any sort of
scholarship, especially occult learning," the latter sense attested from c. 1500 in English but said
to have been more common in Medieval Latin. Popularized in English by the writings of Sir
Walter Scott (1771-1832). Sense of "magical beauty, alluring charm" first recorded 1840. As that
quality of attractiveness especially associated with Hollywood, high-fashion, celebrity, etc., by
1939.  Jamieson's 1825 supplement to his "Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language"
has glamour-gift "the power of enchantment; metaph. applied to female fascination." Jamieson's
original edition (1808) looked to Old Norse for the source of the word. Zoëga's Old Icelandic
dictionary has glám-sýni "illusion," probably from the same root as gleam.
■ Contrastive ← contrast + -ive

■ Contrast (v., 1690s – "to set in opposition with a view to show the differences; to stand
in opposition or contrast; to set off (each other) by contrast") ← French сontraster ←
Italian сontrastare ("stand out against, strive, contend") ← Vulgar Lat. contrastare ("to
stand opposed to, withstand") ← Lat. contra ("against") + stare ("to stand") ← PIE *sta-
("to stand, make or be firm").

■ -ive – a word-forming element making adjectives from verbs, meaning "pertaining to,
tending to; doing, serving to do") ← Old French-if ← Lat. –ivus (an adjectival suffix)