contractor

Forms

contractor m (genitive contractōris); third declension^[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Latin contrahō (“to draw together; to enter into a contract”) + -tor, an agent noun formed on the stem of its past participle ⟨contract-⟩.^[1][3][4] The simple verb trahō (“to pull, drag”) goes back to Proto-Italic *traχe/o-.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first author is Paulinus of Nola,^[3][6] who says of Judas that the “contractor of death” is rightly shut out from the commerce of life.^[3]

Semantic evolution

In Late Latin it was a legal term for a party to a contract or obligation: Justinian's Code speaks of the contracting parties of a marriage and of debtors and contractors.^[3][1][2] It is also found in the capitularies.^[6] In British Medieval Latin it was used of a negotiator.^[7] English took it over as contractor in the 1540s, “one who enters into a contract”.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 353–431 AD – Paulinus of Nola calls Judas a contractor of death.^[3][6]
• 528–534 AD – Justinian's Code uses it of the parties to a marriage contract.^[3][1][6]
• 1318 – A letter says that Robert de Brus offered to send six or more negotiators.^[7]
• 1540s – English borrows it as contractor.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Late Latin, law) One who enters into a contract or obligation, a contracting party.^[1][3][8][2]
2. (Medieval Latin) A negotiator.^[7]

Usage notes

An early instance in the Salic law is doubtful; the TLL suggests another word may have been written there.^[3][9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
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 e f g h Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ 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
8. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
9. ^ Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften