1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Hermeneutics

HERMENEUTICS (Gr. ἑρμηνευτική, sc. τέχνη, Lat. ars hermeneutica, from ἑρμηνεύειν, to interpret, from Hermes, the messenger of the gods), the science or art of interpretation or explanation, especially of the Holy Scriptures (see Theology).