directorium

Forms

dīrēctōrium n (genitive dīrēctōriī or dīrēctōrī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin dīrēctōrius (“directing”), its neuter used as a noun.^[2] The adjective comes from dīrigō (“to direct”),^[3][4] through its participle dīrēctus.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in the Theodosian Code,^[4][3] meaning a prescribed route for a journey.^[4][5][6]

Semantic evolution

In Medieval Latin Du Cange records it for a sideboard where vessels were set out for banquets (French dressoir),^[7] and a British account of 1301 seems to use it for a dresser, a place for dressing meat.^[8] It also named an astronomical instrument.^[8][9] More often it meant a guide or directive for conduct and a handbook of rules,^[8][10][11] and in the Church a directory or ordo, the book of rules for the services, especially around the moveable feasts.^[8][12]

English borrowed it in the mid-15th century as “a guide”;^[2] from the 1540s the English word also meant a book of rules, especially for Church offices.^[2] Italian direttorio came through French directoire from the Late Latin word.^[6]

Timeline

• 438 AD – The Theodosian Code uses it for a prescribed route.^[4][3]
• 1301 – A British account roll seems to use it for a dresser.^[8]
• 1381 – A poem against the Lollards uses it for a guide of conduct.^[8]
• 1452 – The Chronicle of Bec records the renewal of a directorium, a sideboard.^[7]
• mid-15th century – English borrows it as directory, “a guide”.^[2]
• 1497 – Pynson prints the directorium sacerdotum, the priests' rule-book known as the “pica”.^[8]
• 1540s – The English word comes to mean a book of rules.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Late Latin) A prescribed route for a journey.^[4][5]
2. (Medieval Latin) A sideboard or dresser.^[7][8]
3. (Medieval Latin) An astronomical instrument.^[8][9]
4. (Medieval Latin) A guide or directive; a handbook of rules.^[8][10][11]
5. (Ecclesiastical Latin) A directory, ordo: the book of rules for the liturgy.^[8][12]

Related words

• dīrēctē
• dīrēctus
• dērēctus
• dīrēctōrius
• dīrigō
• English directory

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b c d e Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
7. ^ 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
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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 Latinitatis medii aevi lexicon Bohemorum / Slovník středověké latiny v českých zemích (1977–), Prague: Academia; electronic version, Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences
10. ^ a b Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
11. ^ a b Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
12. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson