blasphemia

Forms

blasphēmia f (genitive blasphēmiae); first declension^[1] A neuter blasphēmium is also found, in Prudentius and other Church writers.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek βλασφημία (blasphēmía, “slander, blasphemy”).^[1][2][5][6] The TLL describes it as a word of the Old Latin Bible and the Vulgate that Church writers then used widely.^[4] Etymonline traces the Greek noun to a verb meaning “to speak evil of”, whose first element is uncertain.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It appears in Tertullian^[6][8] (c. 160–220 AD)^[6] and in the Old Latin translations of the Bible,^[8][4] meaning abusive and impious speech.^[8]

Semantic evolution

In Christian Latin it meant both reviling or slander against people and blasphemy against God:^[2][9] the Vulgate uses it of reproaches from men in Isaiah and of blasphemy in Matthew.^[2]

Medieval Latin kept both senses^[5][10] and added others: an unjust accusation and a bad reputation,^[10] shameful chatter and a curse.^[5] Thomas Aquinas defines it as a slighting of God's goodness.^[11] Italian bestemmia continues the Latin word,^[8] and English took over the word as blasphemy in the early 13th century through Old French.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian uses it of impious speech.^[8][6]
• after 220 AD – The Old Latin Bible uses it in Matthew.^[8][6]
• 390–406 AD – The Vulgate uses it for reviling and for blasphemy.^[2][6]
• early 13th century – Borrowed into English, through Old French, as blasphemy.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. Reviling, slander, abusive speech.^[2][1][10]
2. Blasphemy, impious speech against God or sacred things.^[2][9][1]
3. (Medieval Latin) An unjust accusation.^[10]
4. (Medieval Latin) Bad reputation, notoriety.^[10]
5. (Medieval Latin) A curse.^[5]

Related words

• blasphēmō
• English blasphemy

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
4. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b c d Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
6. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b c d e f Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
9. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
10. ^ a b c d e Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
11. ^ Schütz, Ludwig (1895), Thomas-Lexikon, 2nd ed., Paderborn: F. Schöningh