arrestum

Forms

arrestum n (genitive arrestī); second declension; also spelled arestum, and as a feminine arresta.^[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Medieval Latin arrestō (“to arrest”), a verb Niermeyer explains as ad- and restō (“to stay behind”).^[1][3] The DMLBS gives Old French arest as its source instead.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record, in the Peace of Valenciennes (Köbler dates it to 1114, with a query), concerns a seizure of goods: whoever could prove his claim might keep what he had seized.^[5][3]

Semantic evolution

In the later Middle Ages it meant both the arrest and detention of a person and the seizure or attachment of a thing,^[1][4] and in France also an interlocutory sentence or decree of a court.^[1][6][4] French charters also use it for a prohibition and for a delay,^[6] and a 1383 account for the rest that held a lance.^[6] In British documents it was also an embargo on ships.^[4] It was in use in Hungary, Poland and Bohemia as well.^[7][2][8]

Timeline

• c. 1114 – The Peace of Valenciennes uses it for a seizure of goods.^[5][3]
• 1206 – A charter of the count of Dreux promises to hand over a fortress “without delay” (sine arresto).^[6]
• 1312 – A Gascon document speaks of the decrees (arresta) of the king of France.^[4]
• 1357 – A Polish charter uses it for the detention of a person.^[2]
• 1369 – A Scottish account records an earl held under the king's arrest.^[4]
• 1383 – An account from Nîmes uses it for a lance rest.^[6]
• 1401 – A Hungarian document speaks of King Sigismund being held under arrest (sub aresto).^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. (law) Arrest, detention of a person.^[1][4][7]
2. (law) Seizure or attachment of a thing; the goods seized.^[1][5][4]
3. (law) An interlocutory sentence; a decree of a court.^[1][4]
4. A prohibition.^[6][2]
5. A delay.^[6]
6. An embargo on ships.^[4]
7. The rest of a lance.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
2. ^ a b c d Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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
5. ^ a b c Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
6. ^ a b c d e f g h du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
7. ^ a b c Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
8. ^ 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