eremita

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ɛ.reːˈmiː.ta]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [e.reˈmiː.ta]^[1]

Forms

erēmīta m (genitive erēmītae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἐρημίτης (erēmítēs, “dweller in the desert”),^[2][3][4] from ἐρημία (erēmía, “solitude, desert”), from ἔρημος (érēmos, “desolate, uninhabited”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Sulpicius Severus uses it in his Dialogues.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

It was a Christian word for a hermit, one who lives alone in the desert, as in Sulpicius Severus and in Venantius Fortunatus' Life of Saint Martin.^[2][3][4] It also appears in the Tironian notes.^[3] Köbler dates Venantius 536–c. 610 AD.^[4]

In medieval Latin it was a hermit or anchorite, and also a monk of certain orders.^[7][8] British writers used it of a desert-dweller, glossed in Old English as westensetla.^[9] Through Old French ermite it gave English hermit, recorded in the early 12th century, and the learned English eremite around 1200.^[5]

Timeline

• 536–c. 610 AD – Venantius Fortunatus uses it in his Life of Saint Martin.^[3][4]
• early 12th century – English hermit is recorded.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A hermit, anchorite, recluse.^[2][1]
2. (Medieval Latin) A monk of a hermit order.^[8]

Word family

• erēmīticus

Related words

• erēmus
• English hermit
• English eremite

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
8. ^ a b Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
9. ^ 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