Wittgenstein

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A 20th-century philosopher known for his work on language, logic, and the philosophy of mind
2. a key figure in analytic philosophy who challenged traditional views of meaning
3. the author of influential texts such as the "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus" and "Philosophical Investigations"

Etymology: Wittgenstein is a surname, and the English word is simply that name used for the man who bore it. The philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951) was born in Vienna, and his name came to stand for his work, so that a "Wittgenstein" is now a thinker associated with the texts he wrote, such as the "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus" and "Philosophical Investigations." The name itself is German, a compound of "Witt," an old word meaning "white" or "wise" in some usages, and "Stein," meaning "stone." The name was not coined for him; it belonged to his family long before he was born. English borrowed it directly from German in the same way it borrows other people's names when those people become widely known, which is why the word is capitalised and works like a proper noun.