Etymologically
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cathedralis

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ka.tʰɛˈdraː.lɪs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ka.teˈdraː.lis][1]

Forms

cathedrālis (neuter cathedrāle); third-declension two-termination adjective[1] Medieval spellings include ⟨kathedralis⟩, ⟨chathedralis⟩ and ⟨catedralis⟩.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin cathedra (“chair, seat”) + -ālis.[1][4][5] Etymonline traces the Christian sense to the use of ⟨cathedra⟩ for a bishop's seat.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its only ancient source is a poem in the works of Ausonius, which speaks of the one who gives the keys of heaven to the founder of the see, Peter in the TLL's reading.[4][7]

Semantic evolution

The word returned in Medieval Latin, meaning “of a bishop's see”.[8][2][9] A diploma of Otto I grants half of a castle to a bishop and to the cathedral church he is to found,[2] and ecclesia cathedrālis became the usual phrase for a bishop's principal church, with canonicī cathedrālēs for its canons.[2][3][10] On its own the feminine meant a cathedral and the masculine a canon of a cathedral chapter.[8][2][5] The MLW also records it of an abbot's chair and of a teacher's chair.[2] In Hungary, Bohemia and Poland a scriptor cathedrālis was a professional scribe, especially of liturgical books.[3][11][10]

English took cathedral from the phrase cathedral church, a partial translation of ecclesia cathedrālis.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 310–394 AD – A poem in the works of Ausonius has it.[4][5]
  • 936–973 – A diploma of Otto I speaks of a cathedral church.[2][5]
  • 1092/1093–1169 – Gerhoch uses it of cathedral clergy.[2][5]
  • c. 1217 – The feminine noun “cathedral” is recorded.[5]
  • c. 1300 – English cathedral church is recorded.[6]
  • 1466 – A Hungarian record names a scriptor cathedrālis.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (Late Latin) Of a chair (of office).[7][4]
  2. (Medieval Latin) Of a bishop's see;[8][2][9][3] ecclesia cathedrālis: a cathedral church.[8][2][9][3]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Holding an abbot's or a teacher's chair.[2]
  4. (Medieval Latin) scriptor cathedrālis: a professional scribe, especially of liturgical books.[3][10][11]

Noun

  1. (Medieval Latin, feminine) A cathedral.[8][5]
  2. (Medieval Latin, masculine) A canon of a cathedral chapter.[8][2][5]

Word family

  • cathedralicius

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
  4. ^ a b c d Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  8. ^ a b c d e f Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  9. ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  10. ^ a b c Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
  11. ^ a b Latinitatis medii aevi lexicon Bohemorum / Slovník středověké latiny v českých zemích (1977–), Prague: Academia; electronic version, Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences