ducatus

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [dʊˈkaː.tʊs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [duˈkaː.tus]^[1]

Forms

ducātus m (genitive ducātūs); fourth declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin dux (“leader”) + -ātus, from dūcō “to lead”.^[2][1][3] De Vaan traces ⟨dūcō⟩ to Proto-Italic *douk-e-, from Proto-Indo-European *dewk-e/o- (“to draw”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's earliest source is Suetonius, and Lewis & Short and Gaffiot cite his Tiberius.^[3][5][6] Köbler dates Suetonius c. 75–c. 150 AD.^[3]

Semantic evolution

A post-Augustan word, it meant the position of a leader, military command, leadership, equivalent to Ancient Greek ἡγεμονία (hēgemonía), as in Suetonius and Florus, and Suetonius also has ducātūs et imperia lūdere “to play at commands and generals”.^[2][5][6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it means guidance, leadership.^[7] Medieval Latin used it for guidance, escort and safe-conduct, and Medieval Latin ducātus was also a duchy and a coin.^[8][9][10] English duchy (mid-14th century) and ducat (late 14th century) are from it through Old French.^[10]

Timeline

• c. 75–c. 150 AD – Suetonius uses it of military command.^[5][3]
• mid-14th century – English duchy is recorded.^[10]
• late 14th century – English ducat is recorded.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. Leadership, military command.^[2][5]
2. (Medieval Latin) Guidance; escort, safe-conduct.^[8][9]
3. (Medieval Latin) A duchy; a ducat.^[10]

Related words

• dux
• dūcō
• English duchy
• English ducat

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
9. ^ a b 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
10. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com