aucellus

Forms

aucellus m (genitive aucellī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin aucella (“little bird”), made masculine; that is a contraction of avicella, a diminutive of avicula, itself a diminutive of avis (“bird”).^[1][2] Niermeyer and Köbler instead derive it from auca (“goose, bird”).^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The scholia on Juvenal (c. 400 AD) are the first to use it, as the Latin for στρουθίον (strouthíon, “sparrow”).^[2][4] Wiktionary dates it from the 4th century AD.^[1]

Semantic evolution

It was the everyday Late Latin word for any small bird, especially a sparrow.^[2][1] Anthimus (511 AD) uses it,^[5][4] and the Merovingian Salic law has a clause on stealing a bird from a trap.^[6] It is the source of Italian uccello and French oiseau.^[3][5]

Timeline

• c. 400 AD – The scholia on Juvenal gloss it as “sparrow”.^[2][4]
• 511 AD – Anthimus uses it of small birds.^[5][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Late Latin) A small bird.^[2][3][6][1]
2. (Late Latin) A sparrow.^[2][1]

Related words

• auceps
• passer

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
3. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften