Etymologically
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dulcor

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈdʊɫ.kɔr][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈdul.kor][1]

Forms

dulcor m (genitive dulcōris); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin dulcis (“sweet”) + -or.[1][2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tertullian is its first author, in his work against Marcion.[5][2][3][4]

Semantic evolution

It belongs to Late and Christian Latin: Jerome uses it in a letter, and the Vulgate has it in Sirach.[2][5][6] Lewis & Short set it beside its opposite, amāror, “bitterness”.[5]

In Medieval Latin it meant sweetness of taste, savour, flavour and fragrance,[7][8] and also a sweet juice or a sweet wine.[8][9] The Ecbasis captivi has a calf scattering the sweetness of the grape,[8] and Amarcius says that the world shows sweetness on the skin while the bitterness lies within.[8] Anselm bids the soul taste the goodness of its redeemer and swallow its healthful sweetness,[10] and Vinsauf writes of one who was a radiance in the eyes and a sweetness in the ear.[10] It could also mean delight and, in Hungarian and Polish charters, kindness or goodwill.[10][11][12]

Timeline

  • c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian uses it in his work against Marcion.[5][4]
  • c. 383–419/420 AD – Jerome uses it in a letter.[2][4]
  • 390–406 AD – The Vulgate has it in Sirach.[5][6][4]
  • mid 11th century – The Ecbasis captivi and Amarcius use it of sweetness.[8][4]
  • 2nd half of the 11th century–1109 – Anselm uses it of the sweetness of the redeemer.[10][4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (Late Latin) Sweetness, sweet taste.[5][2][3][1]
  2. (Medieval Latin) Savour, flavour, fragrance.[7]
  3. (Medieval Latin) A sweet juice; sweet wine.[8][9]
  4. (Medieval Latin, figurative) Sweetness, delight; kindness, goodwill.[10][11][12]

Word family

  • dulcōrō

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  3. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  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 Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  8. ^ a b c d e f Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  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 c d e 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 Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
  12. ^ a b Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl