boscus

Forms

boscus m (genitive boscī); second declension^[1] Also boscum (neuter), buscus, boschus and bossus,^[2][3][4][5] and the feminine busca.^[1][6]

Etymology

Wiktionary gives it as borrowed from Frankish *busk, from Proto-Germanic *buskaz,^[1] and Niermeyer also calls it Germanic;^[3] Etymonline thinks the Medieval Latin word probably comes from Germanic.^[6] Köbler instead supposes Gaulish *boskos,^[2] and the MLW leaves the origin open.^[5]

It is the source of Italian bosco, Spanish bosque and French bois.^[6][4] English bush goes back to Old English bysc but was influenced by Medieval Latin busca, and English bouquet comes from a Picard diminutive of the Old French word.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first record is a charter of 837, in the sense of a wood or woodland.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In charters it is a wood or wooded ground, often given, confirmed or used to mark a boundary,^[5][3] and also wood as a material, especially firewood and timber;^[3][2] Köbler adds a wood set aside for gathering firewood.^[2] Du Cange notes that it occurs everywhere in medieval documents.^[4] In England it is common in forest law: the Assize of the Forest of 1184 forbids anyone to pasture his woods before the king's woods are pastured.^[7] It also appears in names of persons and places.^[5]

Timeline

• 837 – It first appears in a charter.^[2]
• 993/996 – A Bernese charter lists a wood and meadows among lands received.^[5]
• 1131 – A charter of Henry I gives tithes of woodland.^[7]
• 1184 – The Assize of the Forest uses it of the king's woods.^[7]
• 1716 – English borrows bouquet from French.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Medieval Latin) A wood, grove; woodland.^[3][5][7]
2. (Medieval Latin) Wood as material, especially firewood or timber.^[3][2]

Related words

• silva
• English bush
• English bouquet

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
3. ^ a b c d e f Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
4. ^ a b c du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
5. ^ a b c d e f Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
6. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c d 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