confoederatio

Forms

cōnfoederātiō f (genitive cōnfoederātiōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin confoederō (“to unite by a league”), with the suffix -tiō of action nouns;^[2][3][4] the verb is built on foedus² (“treaty, league”).^[4][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler and Georges give Firmicus Maternus (about 334–337 AD) as an early source.^[3][5]

Semantic evolution

In Christian Latin it meant a covenant or bond: for Jerome the first rule among monks is to obey their elders,^[2] Rufinus speaks of a covenant of perjury,^[2] and Augustine uses it of the bond of marriage and of the union of minds.^[2][5] Prosper of Aquitaine applies it to the alliance of peoples.^[2]

In Medieval Latin it was a political word: an alliance between kings and peoples, as in Otto of Freising's account of a bond between the Western and Eastern empires,^[6] a league of cities, and the sworn association of citizens of a town, the commune.^[7][6] British sources also use it for a conspiracy or corrupt bargain.^[8] English confederation (early 15th century) came from it through Anglo-French.^[4] In New Latin it named a confederation of states.^[1][9]

Timeline

• c. 334–337 AD – Firmicus Maternus uses it.^[5][3]
• c. 383–419/420 AD – Jerome uses it of the obedience that binds monks.^[2][3]
• 354–430 AD – Augustine uses it of the bond of marriage and of the union of minds.^[2][5][3]
• 1157–1158 – Otto of Freising writes of renewing a bond between two empires.^[6][3]
• early 15th century – Borrowed into English, through Anglo-French, as confederation.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A covenant, agreement, bond.^[10][2]
2. (Medieval Latin) An alliance or league (of rulers, peoples or cities).^[7][6][8]
3. (Medieval Latin) A sworn commune, the association of a town's citizens.^[7][6]
4. (Medieval Latin) A conspiracy, a corrupt bargain.^[8]
5. (New Latin) A confederation.^[1][9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
6. ^ a b c d e Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
7. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
8. ^ a b c 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
9. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
10. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press