aerarius

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ae̯ˈraː.ri.ʊs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [eˈraː.ri.us]^[1]

Forms

aerārius (feminine aerāria, neuter aerārium); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin aes (“copper, bronze, money”) + -ārius.^[2][1] De Vaan traces ⟨aes⟩ to Proto-Italic *ajos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ei-os (“bronze”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Cato, of money, and Köbler cites Cicero for the noun.^[2][4] Köbler dates Cato 234–149 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

As an adjective it meant of copper or bronze, aerārium metallum a copper mine and faber aerārius a coppersmith, as in Vitruvius and Livy; and of coinage, money or the treasury, as in Cato and Varro's tribūnī aerāriī.^[2][5][6] As a noun it was a coppersmith, as in Petronius, and an aerārius, a citizen of the lowest class, not enrolled in a tribe, who paid only a poll tax, as in Varro and Cicero.^[2][6]

In Medieval Latin it was a coppersmith, brass-founder, moneyer, glossed in Ælfric with Old English ārsmiþ.^[7][8] German ärarisch “of the state treasury” is from it.^[4]

Timeline

• 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of money.^[2][4]
• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of the lowest class of citizens.^[2][4]
• before 66 AD – Petronius uses it of a coppersmith.^[2][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of copper or bronze.^[2]
2. Of coinage, money or the treasury.^[2]

Noun

1. A coppersmith.^[2]
2. A citizen of the lowest class, paying only a poll tax.^[2][6]

Word family

• obaerārius
• aeraria
• aerārium

Related words

• aes
• obaerātus

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ 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
8. ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill