flasca

Forms

flasca f (genitive flascae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is probably borrowed from Frankish *flaskā (“bottle, flask”).^[1] Köbler traces it to Proto-Germanic *flaskō, whose further origin is unclear,^[2] and the TLL leaves open whether the Germans took the word from the Romans or the Romans from the Germans.^[3] The masculine flasco is a doublet.^[1]

Isidore of Seville said that flasks were named from a Greek word.^[4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded by Isidore of Seville (c. 560–636 AD),^[2] who says that such vessels were first made for carrying and storing phials and later came into use for wine.^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

In Late Latin it was a vessel for wine, a leather bottle or cup.^[5][6] Medieval Latin used it for a flask or jug,^[7][8] at first a small wooden keg or a skin for carrying liquor and later a bottle of metal or glass;^[8] Alcuin's life of Willibrord tells of a flask that was found full.^[7][8] Hungarian records of the 15th century list flasks of iron, lead and silver.^[9] In Prague it was the name of a house sign, “At the Flasks”.^[10]

The Romance languages continue it: Italian fiasca, Catalan flasca and Old French flasche, the source of French flasque.^[1][6]

Timeline

• c. 560–636 AD – Isidore of Seville describes the flasca as a wine vessel.^[3][2]
• 1429 – A Hungarian inventory lists large iron flasks.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Late Latin) A vessel for wine; a leather bottle or cup.^[5][6]
2. (Medieval Latin) A flask, jug or small keg for carrying liquor.^[7][8][9]
3. (Medieval Latin) A metal or glass bottle.^[8]

Related words

• flasco

Usage notes

Medieval sources also write it flascha and phlasca.^[2][7]

References

1. ^ a b c d 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 c d Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b Isidore of Seville, Etymologiarum sive Originum libri XX, ed. W. M. Lindsay (Oxford, 1911).
5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b c Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c d Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
8. ^ 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
9. ^ a b c Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
10. ^ 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