carcasium

Forms

carcasium n (genitive carcasiī); second declension^[1][2] Variants include carcosium, carcosius, karkoysus, carcagium and corcosium.^[3][2]

Etymology

British medieval sources derive it borrowed from Anglo-Norman carcois, beside Old French charcois.^[3] These words are all of unknown origin.^[4][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest record in British sources is in the Pipe Rolls of 1199, as carcosium, of the carcasses of cows.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It was a word of royal and household accounts for the dressed carcass of an ox, cow or sheep, bought for the larder or given to hospitals.^[3] Du Cange glosses it as both carcass and entrails, and quotes a statute of the guild of Berwick on the price of mutton carcasses.^[5] English has carcass from the late 13th century, from the Anglo-Norman word.^[4]

Timeline

• 1199 – The Pipe Rolls record carcosia of cows.^[3]
• 1241 – The Close Rolls speak of the king's mutton carcasses.^[3]
• late 13th century – English has carcass.^[4]
• 1284 – Köbler's first record of the spelling carcasium.^[2]
• 1300 – A Leicester record has carcasium de carne bovina, a carcass of beef.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. The carcass of a slaughtered animal; a dead body.^[1][3]
2. Entrails.^[5]

Related words

• English carcass

References

1. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
2. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
3. ^ a b c d e f g h 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
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre