Etymology and origin of the Latin word Maccabaeus
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Borrowing
- First attested
- 390–406, Vulgate
- Borrowed from
- Ancient Greek Μακκαβαῖος
- Ultimate origin
- Biblical Hebrew מַכַּבִּי
Forms
Maccabaeus m (genitive Maccabaeī); second declension[1] The Vulgate and the classical dictionaries spell it Machabaeus; the plural Machabaeī names the Maccabees.[2][3][4]
Etymology
It is borrowed from Ancient Greek Μακκαβαῖος (Makkabaîos), from Biblical Hebrew מַכַּבִּי (makkabbī).[1] Köbler connects it with a Hebrew word for “hammer”.[5]
Earliest recorded meaning
It first appears in the Vulgate, as the surname of Judas in the books of Maccabees.[2][3][5]
Semantic evolution
From the surname of Judas, Augustine and Jerome used the plural Machabaeī for the whole family of the Maccabees,[2][3] and Augustine also for the books of the Bible named after them.[3] In Ecclesiastical Latin Machabaeī is the name of those books of the Old Testament.[6] Gaffiot notes that the name also covers the seven brothers martyred under Antiochus Epiphanes.[4]
Timeline
- 390–406 – The Vulgate uses it as the surname of Judas.[2][5]
- 354–430 – Augustine speaks of the Maccabees and of the books of the Maccabees.[3][5]
Meanings
Proper noun
- (biblical) Maccabee, surname of Judas, leader of the Jews.[2][3][1]
- (plural) Machabaeī: the Maccabees, the family of Judas; also the seven martyred brothers.[2][4]
- (plural, Ecclesiastical Latin) The books of the Maccabees in the Old Testament.[3][6]
Related words
- English Maccabee
References
- ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b c d e f g Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
- ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
- ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Related etymologies
- politia · also from Greek
- athleticus · also from Greek
- archetypum · also from Greek
- apathia · also from Greek
- amnestia · also from Greek
- academicus · also from Greek
- organicus · also from Greek
- Musa · also from Greek
Cite this entry
“Maccabaeus.” Etymologically, 24 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/Maccabaeus. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.
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