The word ‘civil’ shifted from civic to cultured behavior during the Renaissance
Evidence
In many European vernacular languages, ‘civil’ was CDrst used as an equivalent of ‘civic’; it was only during the Renaissance, from the 16th century onwards more precisely, that the term ‘civil’ took on new meanings anticipating that of ‘civilization.’ Civil, in this latter usage, is “said of a person, their attributes and behaviour, and is synonymous with educated, cultured, cultivated, well-bred.” — , Stephanie B. Martens - Civilization and…, 41
Categorization
- DEFINE: Clarifies the semantic evolution of ‘civil’ from civic to polite/cultivated before ‘civilization’ itself was coined.
- ADDENDUM: Connects to the immodesty article’s treatment of civility as a marker of cultured conduct in Europe.
- XREF: connects to: The adjective ‘civil’ once denoted whole societies, contrasted with the barbarous — , Stephanie B. Martens - Civilization and…, 42; Renaissance culture paired perfected individuality with transcendence of local milieus. — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 661; Hobbes promoted civility before the word civilization existed — , Stephanie B. Martens - Civilization and…, 48
Related
- The adjective ‘civil’ once denoted whole societies, contrasted with the barbarous (similarity 0.87)
- The concept of civilization emerged only in the modern era (similarity 0.79)
- Hobbes promoted civility before the word civilization existed (similarity 0.79)
Broader Connections
- Renaissance culture paired perfected individuality with transcendence of local milieus.
#expands(0.75) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 661 - Hobbes promoted civility before the word civilization existed
#expands(0.72) — , Stephanie B. Martens - Civilization and…, 48