Etymologically
Log in

coopertura

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the Latin word coopertura

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 345–411/412 AD, Rufinus
Ultimate origin
Latin cooperiō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin coopertura
Italian copertura

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ko.ɔ.pɛrˈtuː.ra][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ko.o.perˈtuː.ra][1]

Forms

coopertūra f (genitive coopertūrae); first declension[1]

Etymology

It is a derivative of cooperiō (“to cover”),[2][3][4] formed with -tūra on its participle coopertus.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLL's only example is in Rufinus' translation of Origen's De principiis, of the veil of the letter of the Law that hid its good meaning.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Medieval Latin used it of any covering: a blanket or bedspread, a roof, a horse-cloth and armour,[5][6][7] a lid,[8] a coating on a wall,[7] and in anatomy and botany a membrane or skin.[7] In English legal Latin it was the state of a married woman under her husband's protection, the coverture of English law.[8][9]

It lives on in Italian copertura and Spanish cobertura,[2] and English took the word from Old French in the early 13th century as coverture.[9]

Timeline

  • c. 345–411/412 AD – Rufinus uses it for the veil of the letter.[2][4]
  • early 13th century – English borrows Old French coverture.[9]
  • 13th century – Albertus Magnus uses it for a covering membrane.[7][4]
  • 1371 – York fabric rolls record wax bought for covering torches.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (Late Latin) A covering, veil.[2][3][1]
  2. (Medieval Latin) A blanket, coverlet, bedspread.[5][6]
  3. (Medieval Latin) A roof, roofing.[5][8]
  4. (Medieval Latin) A horse-cloth; armour.[5][7]
  5. (Medieval Latin) A lid; a coating or facing of a wall.[8][7]
  6. (Medieval Latin, law) Coverture, the state of a married woman.[8]
  • English coverture

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 c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c d Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ a b c d e f Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  8. ^ a b c d e du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
  9. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com

Descendants

Cite this entry

“Coopertura.” Etymologically, 23 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/coopertura. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·