calamellus

Forms

calamellus m (genitive calamellī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is a diminutive formed from Latin calamus (“reed”) + -ellus.^[1][2][3] The base calamus is itself from Ancient Greek κάλαμος (kálamos, “reed”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The only ancient example is in the commentary of Arnobius the Younger (423 to after 455) on Psalm 150,^[5][6][2] where the word means a little reed, a small reed pipe sounding to God.^[2][7]

Semantic evolution

Lewis & Short gloss it as a little reed,^[6] Conte as a small flute,^[7] and Wiktionary also gives a little reed pen.^[1] In Medieval Latin it named the shawm, a reed instrument played by the Venetians with trumpets in Oliver's history of Damietta,^[8] and Du Cange records calamellus mellitus as a name for sugar.^[9]

The Late Latin word lives on in Old French, as chalemel, the source of the English word,^[4] in French chalumeau^[2] and, through Old French chalemelle, in Italian ciaramella.^[7]

Timeline

• 423–after 455 – Arnobius the Younger uses it in his commentary on Psalm 150.^[2][5]
• late 14th century – English has shalemyes, from the Old French descendant of the word.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Late Latin) A little reed; a small reed pipe.^[6][2][7]
2. (Late Latin) A small reed pen.^[1]
3. (Medieval Latin) A shawm.^[8]

Related words

• English shawm

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
9. ^ du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre