fluviolus

Forms

fluviolus m (genitive fluviolī); second declension^[1][2] Medieval sources also treat it as feminine, or as a neuter ⟨fluviolum⟩.^[3]

Etymology

It is from Latin fluvius (“river”) + -olus, a diminutive.^[1][4][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLL's first source is the Latin version of Josephus' Jewish War that goes under the name of Rufinus, where a small stream glides past.^[1][4] Köbler gives Gregory of Tours as its first author.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Gregory of Tours uses it in the History of the Franks, of a stream that comes from the north, and in his book on the miracles of Martin;^[1][2] the Life of Vedast has it too.^[1][5] It was a common word in medieval charters and chronicles for a brook or small river, often with its local name:^[3][6][7] a Rhineland charter of 798 places a village on the bank of a stream called Melanbach,^[3] and Walahfrid Strabo writes of a stream called Steinaha.^[3] Symeon of Durham explains the name of Lindisfarne from the stream Lindis flowing into the sea.^[5] Hungarian and Polish records gloss it with the vernacular words for a brook, Hungarian ér and Polish potok and rzeczka.^[6][7]

Timeline

• 4th–5th century AD – The Latin Jewish War of Pseudo-Rufinus has a small stream.^[1][4]
• 538/539–594 AD – Gregory of Tours uses it in the History of the Franks.^[1][2][4]
• 798 – A Rhineland charter names a stream called Melanbach.^[3]
• 2nd quarter of the 9th century – Walahfrid Strabo writes of the stream Steinaha.^[3][4]
• 1206 – A Hungarian charter speaks of three streams that join.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Late Latin) A small river, stream, brook.^{[1][2][8][3][5]}

Related words

• fluviālis

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
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 d e f g Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ 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
6. ^ a b c Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
7. ^ a b Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
8. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.