conferentia

Forms

cōnferentia f (genitive cōnferentiae); first declension^[1][2] Also spelled conferencia.^[3]

Etymology

It is from Latin cōnferō (“to bring together; to confer, bestow”) + -entia, formed on the present participle ⟨cōnferēns⟩ of the verb.^[1][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler finds it first in the formularies of the second half of the 9th century.^[1] In a formula from Laon it is the showing of affection: words of loyalty and the dīlēctiōnis cōnferentiam are to be sent back in return.^[6]

Semantic evolution

Ancient glossaries explain it as collātiō, “a bringing together”;^[7][2] an Old High German gloss uses it of the comparison of versions of the Bible, beside collātiō.^[6] It meant a gift or grant: a diploma of Henry II speaks of the gifts and grants that have been or will be made,^[6] and Niermeyer glosses it as a bestowing.^[8] A British life of Dunstan speaks of the bestowal of a pious peace,^[9] and in Poland it was the conferring of a church benefice.^[5]

It also meant a meeting for discussion: in 1207 an English royal letter puts off a matter until a general cōnferentia has been held on how to settle it.^[9] Stelten glosses it as a conference, meeting or gathering,^[10] and in Neo-Latin Vespucci writes of having talks with many inhabitants of those places.^[11] Other senses were a joining of two things, as the matching halves of a document divided through the middle in a Hungarian charter of 1234,^[3] and, in the scholastic writing of Roger Bacon, a contributing factor.^[9] Albertus Magnus uses it, after Cicero, for one of the parts into which prudence is divided.^[6]

French conférence comes from it, and through French English conference (1550s) and German Konferenz.^[4][1]

Timeline

• 2nd half of 9th century – The formularies use it.^[1][6]
• 1207 – An English royal letter uses it of a general conference.^[9]
• 1234 – A Hungarian charter uses it of the matching halves of a document.^[3]
• 1519 – A Polish chapter statute uses it of conferring benefices.^[5]
• 1550s – English conference is recorded, from French.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Late Latin, glossaries) A bringing together, collation; comparison.^[7][2][6]
2. (Medieval Latin) A showing (of affection or loyalty).^[6]
3. (Medieval Latin) A gift, grant; a bestowal; the conferring of a benefice.^[8][6][9][5]
4. (Medieval Latin) A conference, meeting for discussion; a talk, conversation.^{[9][10][5][11]}
5. (Medieval Latin) A joining, fitting together.^[3]
6. (Medieval Latin, philosophy) A contributing factor.^[9]

Related words

• collātiō
• colloquium
• English conference

References

1. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
2. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
3. ^ a b c d Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
7. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
9. ^ a b c d e f g 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
10. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
11. ^ a b Ramminger, Johann, Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, www.neulatein.de