Martialis

Forms

Mārtiālis (neuter Mārtiāle); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin Mārs + -ālis.^[1][2] The personal name is the same adjective used as a cognomen.^[1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Varro on,^[2] who in his work on the Latin language names the Martialis collis, a hill of Mars.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Cicero has the flamen Martialis, the priest of Mars, and Martiales alone for priests of Mars, and he calls the soldiers of the legio Martia Martiales.^[5][6][7] Horace speaks of wolves sacred to Mars,^[8] and Suetonius of the ludi Martiales, games for Mars the Avenger, to whom Augustus built a temple.^[5] As a cognomen it was borne above all by Marcus Valerius Martialis, a native of Bilbilis in Spain and the epigrammatic poet under Domitian, Nerva and Trajan.^[9][3]

In medieval Latin it meant warlike or military, and in British sources lex martialis is martial law.^[10][11] It was also used for the month of March.^[11][12][13] English martial comes from the medieval word.^[14]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro names the Martialis collis.^[4][2]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of the priest of Mars and of the soldiers of the legio Martia.^[5][2]
• 65–8 BC – Horace writes Martialis lupos, “wolves of Mars”.^[8][2]
• c. 75–c. 150 AD – Suetonius mentions the ludi Martiales.^[5][2]
• 61/62–before 117 AD – Pliny the Younger writes of the poet Martial.^[9][2]
• 889 – A Regensburg deed is dated by the calends of March, kalendarum martialium.^[11]
• late 14th century – English martial “warlike” appears.^[14]
• 1584 – A British document grants the power to use martial law, lex martialis.^[10]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of or belonging to Mars;^[3][5] flamen Martialis, the priest of Mars.^[3][5]
2. Of the legio Martia; as a plural noun, its soldiers.^[5][6]
3. (as a plural noun) The priests of Mars.^[6][7]
4. (Medieval Latin) Of war, martial, military;^[10][11] lex martialis, martial law.^[10][11]
5. (Medieval Latin) Of the month of March.^[11][12][13]

Proper noun

1. A Roman cognomen, borne especially by Marcus Valerius Martialis, the epigrammatist Martial.^[3][9]

Related words

• Mārtius
• Mārtīnus
• English martial

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
3. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ a b c d e f g Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
6. ^ a b c Simpson, D. P. (1959), Cassell's New Latin Dictionary, London: Cassell
7. ^ a b VoLat: Vocabolario della Lingua Latina (2018), Milan: Hoepli
8. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
9. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
10. ^ a b c d Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
11. ^ a b c d e f Novum Glossarium Mediae Latinitatis ab anno DCCC usque ad annum MCC (1957–), Copenhagen / Geneva / Paris: Union Académique Internationale; IRHT
12. ^ a b Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
13. ^ a b Latinitatis medii aevi lexicon Bohemorum / Slovník středověké latiny v českých zemích (1977–), Prague: Academia; electronic version, Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences
14. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com