Hermeneutics is the science or art of interpretation. The ancient Greek hermeneutikos means “to interpret” or “to explain”, and has often been associated with the god Hermes (messenger of the gods, translator of divine messages).
Originally, hermeneutics concerned the interpretation of sacred texts only, then, from the Middle Ages and Renaissance onwards, it included the interpretation of legal and literary texts, until the modern era when it became a philosophical discipline including the question of the very process of interpretation (cf. Schleiermacher).
Since the 20th century, hermeneutics has included any and all interpretation, even that of human existence (cf. Gadamer).