curativus

Forms

cūrātīvus (feminine cūrātīva, neuter cūrātīvum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is a Medieval Latin word, from Latin cūra (“care, cure”) according to Köbler.^[1] Etymonline traces the English word curative to Old French curatif and to the stem of cūrātus, past participle of cūrō (“to cure”).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in the glosses of Urso, who says that dryness becomes curative of a hot disease.^[3][1]

Semantic evolution

It was mainly a medical word, “healing, curative”, used of medicines and herbs;^[3][4][5] Du Cange notes it as common among medieval physicians and gives Italian curativo.^[6] Hugo Ripelin divides bodily medicine into curative, preserving, preventive and improving kinds.^[3] It was applied figuratively to the soul: Albertus Magnus calls moral science curative of souls, as medicine is of bodies,^[3] and British writers speak of what is curative of a spiritual disease.^[5] In British sources the feminine is also a noun, curative treatment, opposed to preserving treatment.^[5] Albertus Magnus also uses it in the sense “caring about, valuing”.^[3]

English curative dates from the early 15th century.^[2]

Timeline

• second half of the 12th century – Urso calls dryness curative of a hot disease.^[3][1]
• 13th century – Albertus Magnus writes of herbs curative of illnesses and of moral science as curative of souls.^[3][1]
• early 15th century – English curative appears.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (Medieval Latin, medicine) Healing, curative.^[3][4][5]
2. (Medieval Latin, figurative) Healing to the soul.^[3][5]
3. (Medieval Latin) Caring about, valuing.^[3]

Noun

1. (Medieval Latin, medicine, feminine) Curative treatment.^[5]

Related words

• curo
• English curative

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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
5. ^ a b c d e f 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
6. ^ du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre