detectio

Forms

dētēctiō f (genitive dētēctiōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin dētegō (“to uncover”) + -tiō.^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first certain use is in Tertullian's Against Marcion (4.36), where Jesus is said to have come down ad detectionem creatoris, “to reveal the Creator”.^[3][4][5] Köbler dates Tertullian to about 160–220 AD.^[6] Conte also cites it from Seneca the Elder's Controversiae, but only as a conjecture.^[7]

Semantic evolution

In the Latin Irenaeus it means the exposure of heretics, paired with convictio “refutation”, and the Passion of Peter and Paul uses it of the unmasking of Simon.^[4] Donatus has it in his summary of Terence's Andria.^[8]

Medieval writers kept the senses “disclosure, revelation, exposure”;^[9] Hildegard of Bingen uses it of a sinner revealing the wounds of his heart to God.^[9] In British Latin it also meant the removal of tiles from a roof, the unveiling of the cross on Good Friday, an apocalypse (detectio caeli) and a geographical discovery.^[10] English detection first meant “accusation”, in the early 15th century.^[11]

Timeline

• c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian uses it of the revealing of the Creator.^[3][4][6]
• 1298 – A Hungarian charter speaks of the fuller disclosure of the truth.^[12]
• early 15th century – English borrows it as detection, first meaning an accusation.^[11]
• 1508 – A Polish church court record uses it of disclosing a penitent's identity.^[13]

Meanings

Noun

1. Disclosure, revelation.^[2][3][4][5]
2. (Late Latin) Exposure, unmasking (of heretics or a deceiver).^[4][9]
3. (Medieval Latin) Uncovering, unveiling; removal of tiles, unroofing.^[10]
4. (Medieval Latin) Discovery (of new lands).^[10]
5. Accusation, the exposing of a hidden crime or heresy.^[1]

Related words

• English detection

Usage notes

Manuscripts often confuse it with dēiectiō “casting down”.^[4][9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e f Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
8. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
9. ^ a b c d Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
10. ^ 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
11. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
12. ^ Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
13. ^ Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl