Romanicus
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Forms
Rōmānicus (feminine Rōmānica, neuter Rōmānicum); first/second-declension adjective[1][2]
Etymology
It is from Latin Rōmānus (“Roman”) + -icus.[1][2]
Earliest recorded meaning
Its first author is Cato,[2][3] with the sense of something of the Roman type or pattern.[1]
Semantic evolution
In Medieval Latin it could simply mean Roman: some manuscripts of the Historia Brittonum speak of the leaders of the Rōmānica gēns in Britain, where others read Rōmāna.[4] It also came to mean Romance, of the languages that grew out of Latin,[2] and as a noun the Romance language: an English record of 1237 mentions the clasps of the king's great book “of Romance”, that is, in French.[4]
English Romanic, recorded from 1708 and usually said of the languages descended from Latin, is from this word.[5]
Timeline
- 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of things of the Roman type.[1][2][3]
- 1237 – An English record uses it as a noun for the French language.[4]
- 1708 – English Romanic is first recorded.[5]
Meanings
Adjective
- Of the Roman type or pattern; made in Rome.[1][2]
- (Medieval Latin) Roman.[4]
- (Medieval and New Latin) Romance.[2]
Noun
- (Medieval Latin) A Romance language, especially French.[4]
Related words
- English Romanic
References
- ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ a b c d e 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
- ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com