compater

Forms

compater m (genitive compatris); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin com- + pater, “joint father”.^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLL's first record is in the acts of a church council of 663–680, which forbid abbots and monks to have compatres, in the sense of a man who has become a second father to a child through baptism.^[2] Two inscriptions may show an earlier sense, someone who is a parent together with another, perhaps a spouse; the TLL marks this as uncertain.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The word belongs to the vocabulary of spiritual kinship: a godfather was compater to the child's parents and to the other godparents.^[4][5] A papal letter in the Codex Carolinus calls King Pippin “our spiritual compater”.^[5] From this close tie it came to mean simply a close friend or companion,^[6][5][4].

It survives in Italian compare, which Conte derives from Late Latin compater,^[7] and through French compère it reached English as compere.^[8] It was borrowed into Old English cumpæder.^[3]

Timeline

• 663–680 – Acts of a church council forbid abbots and monks to have compatres.^[2]
• 835–841 – Agnellus of Ravenna uses it in his book on the bishops of Ravenna.^[5]
• 966 – In an English charter a bishop grants land to his compater.^[4]
• 1738 – English borrows French compère, ultimately from Medieval Latin compater, as compere.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Late Latin, Ecclesiastical Latin) A godfather, in relation to the child's parents or to a fellow godparent.^[2][6][4][1]
2. (Medieval Latin) A close friend, companion.^[6][5][4]
3. (Medieval Latin, figurative) One who gives a name.^[4]

Related words

• commater
• English compere

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d e Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
6. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
7. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com