catechismus

Forms

catēchismus m (genitive catēchismī); second declension^[1] Medieval spellings include cathecismus, catezismus and catecismus.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek κατηχισμός (katēkhismós, “instruction in the faith”),^[4][3][2] a noun made from κατηχίζω (katēkhízō, “to catechize”), itself an extended form of κατηχέω (katēkhéō, “to instruct by word of mouth”).^[1][3] Wiktionary marks the Greek noun as unattested.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Augustine uses it in De fide et operibus for elementary instruction in the Christian faith,^[5][6][3] which Lewis & Short render as a catechism.^[4]

Semantic evolution

In medieval Latin it was above all the preparation of candidates for baptism, by teaching and by rites,^[2][7] and it was given even to newborn children before they were baptised.^[8][2] From this it came to mean the basic teachings of the faith and a short compendium of them.^[2][7] Ecclesiastical Latin uses it for a catechism.^[9][10]

English catechism (c. 1500) comes from French catéchisme and directly from this Latin word.^[11]

Timeline

• 354–430 AD – Augustine uses it of elementary instruction in the faith.^[4][5][3]
• 1279 – An English synodal statute, spelling it cathacismus, uses it of what children receive between birth and full baptism.^[7]
• 1280 – The statutes of Bishop Auger II of Couserans use it for the instruction of newborn children before baptism.^[8]
• c. 1500 – English borrows it as catechism.^[11]
• 1549 – An English text defines it as a short instruction in common doctrine.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. Elementary instruction in the Christian faith; a catechism.^{[4][5][9][10]}
2. (Medieval Latin) The preparation of candidates for baptism, by teaching and by rites.^[2][7]
3. (Medieval Latin) The basic teachings of the faith, or a book summarising them.^[2][7]

Related words

• catechizo
• English catechism

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ a b c d e f 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
8. ^ a b du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
9. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
10. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
11. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com