syllabus

noun

syl·​la·​bus ˈsi-lə-bəs 

plural syllabi ˈsi-lə-ˌbī 

-ˌbē

or syllabuses

1

: a summary outline of a discourse, treatise, or course of study or of examination requirements

2

: headnote sense 2

Examples of syllabus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There were antiwar protests, and some students were demanding a broadening of the economics syllabus to include radical approaches to the subject. —John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024

Some professors even adopted it as part of their syllabus for teaching. —Sweta Kaushal, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024

But getting the pumps flowing again will not… Oil and Unrest As political upheaval spreads across North Africa and into the Persian Gulf, 2011 may turn out to be as momentous a year for global oil markets as 1971, the year when… What to Read on Oil An annotated syllabus on oil. —Edward L. Morse, Foreign Affairs, 16 Aug. 2013

Possums read the supplemental texts on the syllabus. —Steve MacOne, The New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin, alteration of Latin sillybus label for a book, from Greek sillybos

First Known Use

circa 1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

syllabus

noun

syl·​la·​bus ˈsil-ə-bəs 

plural syllabi -ˌbī 

-ˌbē

or syllabuses

: a brief outline (as of a course of study)