Etymologically
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consuetudinarius

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [kõː.sʷeː.tuː.dɪˈnaː.ri.ʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [kon.sʷe.tu.diˈnaː.ri.us][1]

Forms

cōnsuētūdinārius (feminine cōnsuētūdināria, neuter cōnsuētūdinārium, adverb cōnsuētūdināriē); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin cōnsuētūdō (“custom, habit”) + -ārius.[1][2][3] The noun belongs with cōnsuēscō (“to become accustomed”), one of the compounds of suēscō, which de Vaan regards as older than the simple verb.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It appears around 400 in the Latin Didascalia apostolorum[5][6] and in the Dialogues of Sulpicius Severus, who speaks of the usual time for dinner (consuetudinarium cenae tempus).[5][7]

Semantic evolution

In Late Latin it meant “customary, usual” and was used of food, hours, duties and even sins that had become habitual;[5][2] Sidonius applies it to a person, his regular letter-carrier.[5][2] An adverb consuetudinarie “in the usual way” is found in Cassiodorus.[2][5]

In Medieval Latin it took on the legal sense “based on custom”, as in ius consuetudinarium, customary law as opposed to written law,[8][9] and was used of people and churches liable to customary dues.[9][8] Used as a noun, it named such a dependent and a book containing the customs of a monastery.[9][10] The MLW also records a medical sense, “chronic”.[11] Italian consuetudinario comes from it.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 400 AD – It appears in the Latin Didascalia apostolorum[5][6] and in Sulpicius Severus.[5]
  • 435/439 AD – Salvian speaks of customary meats (consuetudinarias carnes).[5][2][6]
  • c. 431–486 AD – Sidonius calls a letter-carrier consuetudinarius, “the usual one”.[5][2][6]
  • 529 AD – Benedict's Rule prescribes the customary canticles.[5][6]
  • c. 485–c. 580 AD – Cassiodorus uses the adverb consuetudinarie.[2][5][6]
  • 1040–1078 – Charters use it as a noun for a dependent who owes customary dues.[6][9]
  • 1239–1256 – Bracton equates ius consuetudinarium with civil law.[8][6]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Customary, usual, habitual.[2][3][12][5]
  2. Of a person: the regular one, the usual (letter-carrier and the like).[5][2]
  3. (Medieval Latin, law) Based on custom: ius consuetudinarium, customary law.[8][9]
  4. (Medieval Latin) Relating to customs.[9]
  5. (Medieval Latin) Liable to customary dues.[9][8]
  6. (Medieval Latin, medicine) Chronic.[11]

Noun

  1. (Medieval Latin) A dependent liable to customary dues.[9][6]
  2. (Medieval Latin) A book of a monastery's customs and rites, a customary.[9][10]

Usage notes

Du Cange records a bilingual gloss that renders it by Ancient Greek φιλοσυνήθης (philosunḗthēs).[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  8. ^ a b c d e 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 c d e f g h i Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  10. ^ a b c du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
  11. ^ a b Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  12. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.