doctoratus

Forms

doctōrātus m (genitive doctōrātūs); fourth declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin doctor (“teacher”) + -ātus¹.^[1][2] doctor is formed from doceō (“to teach”),^[3] which goes back to Proto-Italic *dok-eje- and Proto-Indo-European *doḱ-ei̯e/o- (“to have someone accept something”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is a medieval word.^[1][2] British sources have it from the early 14th century, as when an Oxford record of 1311 speaks of unworthy men rising to the degree of the doctorate.^[4][2]

Semantic evolution

It named the doctorate, the degree or status of a doctor in a university.^[4][5] Czech sources also use it for a teacher's office,^[6] and Polish ones for the dignity of a doctor of the Church and, in 1522, of a rabbi.^[7] Humanists such as Poggio Bracciolini wrote of what it cost to obtain the doctorate.^[8]

It is the source of English doctorate, French doctorat, Italian dottorato and Spanish doctorado.^[1] English has had the word since the 1670s.^[9]

Timeline

• 1311 – An Oxford record speaks of the degree of the doctorate.^[4][2]
• 1438 – A Hungarian document speaks of access to the doctorate in privileged schools.^[5]
• 1451 – Poggio Bracciolini writes of the cost of obtaining it.^[8]
• 1522 – A Polish record uses it for the office of a rabbi.^[7]
• 1670s – English borrows it as doctorate.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Medieval Latin) The doctorate, the degree or status of a doctor.^[4][1][8]
2. (Medieval Latin) The office of a teacher.^[6]
3. (Medieval Latin) The dignity of a doctor of the Church; of a rabbi.^[7]

Related words

• English doctorate

Usage notes

Neo-Latin also has an adjective doctōrātus, -a, -um, “having obtained the doctorate”.^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
3. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d 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
5. ^ a b Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
6. ^ 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
7. ^ a b c Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
8. ^ a b c d Ramminger, Johann, Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, www.neulatein.de
9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com