syllabus: [17] The word syllabus is the result of a misprint. It originated as Greek sittúbā ‘label, table of contents’, which was borrowed into Latin as sittyba. However, in an early printed edition of Cicero’s Letters to Atticus, in the 1470s, its accusative plural form sittybas was misprinted as syllabos. This was taken as representing a Greek súllabos, a supposed (but quite spurious) derivative of Greek sullambánein ‘gather together’ (source of English syllable), which was then relatinized to syllabus. Its earliest application to the ‘contents of a course of instruction’ appears to date from the late 18th century.
syllabus (n.)
1650s, "table of contents of a series of lectures, etc.," from Late Latin syllabus "list," ultimately a misreading of Greek sittybos "parchment label, table of contents," of unknown origin. The misprint appeared in a 15c. edition of Cicero's "Ad Atticum" (see OED). Had it been a real word, the proper plural would be syllabi.
