▁of ▁activities ▁included ▁under ▁the ▁notion ▁of ▁. ▁The ▁term ▁changed ▁little ▁with ▁the ▁Latin ▁phil ologia , ▁and ▁later ▁entered ▁the ▁English ▁language ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 6 th ▁century , ▁from ▁the ▁Middle ▁French ▁phil ologie , ▁in ▁the ▁sense ▁of ▁" lo ve ▁of ▁literature ". ▁ ▁The ▁ad jective ▁ ▁( ph il ó log os ) ▁meant ▁" f ond ▁of ▁discussion ▁or ▁argument , ▁talk ative ", ▁in ▁H ellen istic ▁Greek , ▁also ▁imp lying ▁an ▁excess ive ▁(" s oph istic ") ▁preference ▁of ▁argument ▁over ▁the ▁love ▁of ▁true ▁wisdom , ▁ ▁( ph il ós oph os ). ▁ ▁As ▁an ▁alleg ory ▁of ▁literary ▁er ud ition , ▁phil ologia ▁appears ▁in ▁fifth - century ▁post class ical ▁literature ▁( Mart ian us ▁Cap ella , ▁De ▁nu pt i is ▁Phil ologia e ▁et ▁Mercur ii ), ▁an ▁idea ▁rev ived ▁in ▁Late ▁Med ieval ▁literature ▁( Ch au cer , ▁L yd gate ). ▁ ▁The ▁meaning ▁of ▁" lo ve ▁of ▁learning ▁and ▁literature " ▁was ▁narrow ed ▁to ▁" the ▁study ▁of ▁the ▁historical ▁development ▁of ▁languages " ▁( histor ical ▁lingu istics ) ▁in ▁ 1 9 th - century ▁usage ▁of ▁the ▁term . ▁Due ▁to ▁the ▁rapid ▁progress ▁made ▁in ▁understanding ▁sound ▁laws ▁and ▁language ▁change , ▁the ▁" g old en ▁age ▁of ▁phil ology " ▁last ed ▁throughout ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁century , ▁or ▁" from ▁Gia como ▁Leop ardi ▁and