electivus

Forms

ēlēctīvus, -a, -um; first and second declension^[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Latin ēligō (“to pick out, choose”), formed on its past participle ēlēctus with the suffix -īvus.^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The grammarian Priscian (6th century AD) uses it for a conjunction that expresses a choice, saying that the Greek ἤπερ is such a conjunction.^[3][1][5]

Semantic evolution

In Late Latin it is a grammatical term for what expresses a choice, with the adverb electiue in Priscian as well.^[3][2] Medieval writers used it in philosophy of what concerns choice or free will, in grammar and logic of what is disjunctive, and of what is freely chosen;^[6][7] Thomas Aquinas speaks of an elective love and an elective power.^[8]

In later medieval and early modern texts it described an office filled by election: a Hungarian petition calls a provostship electiva,^[9] and Polish records speak of elective benefices in 1531.^[10] English borrowed it as electif in the early 15th century.^[4]

Timeline

• 6th century AD – Priscian calls a conjunction expressing choice electiva.^[3][5]
• early 15th century – English borrows it as elective.^[4]
• 1531 – A Polish text speaks of elective benefices.^[10]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (Late Latin, grammar) Expressing a choice.^[3][1][11]
2. (Medieval Latin, philosophy) Concerned with choice; choosing.^[6][7][8]
3. (Medieval Latin, logic) Allowing a choice, disjunctive.^[7]
4. (Medieval Latin) Of an office, filled by election.^[9][10][12]
5. (Ecclesiastical Latin) Elective.^[13]

Related words

• electio
• English elective

References

1. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
2. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
3. ^ a b c d e Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
7. ^ 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
8. ^ a b Schütz, Ludwig (1895), Thomas-Lexikon, 2nd ed., Paderborn: F. Schöningh
9. ^ a b Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
10. ^ a b c Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
11. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
12. ^ 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
13. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson