georgic

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Adjective

The adjective "georgic," which dates from the first half of the 18th century, derives by way of Latin georgicus and Greek geōrgikos from the Greek noun geōrgos, meaning "farmer." That noun, in turn, was formed by a combination of the prefix geō- (meaning "earth") and "ergon" ("work"), the latter of which gave us words such as "allergy" and "ergonomics." There is also a noun "georgic" (dating from the early 16th century) which refers to a poem that deals with the practical aspects of agriculture and rural affairs. The standard for such poems, Virgil's Georgics, is responsible for its name. That poem, written between 37 and 30 B.C., called for a restoration of agricultural life in Italy after its farms fell into neglect during civil war.