gabata

Pronunciation

• Classical: [ˈɡa.ba.ta]^[1]
• Ecclesiastical: [ˈɡaː.ba.ta]^[1]

Forms

gabata f (genitive gabatae); first declension^[1] Late Latin also has gavata, in Ennodius and Venantius Fortunatus.^[2][3] Medieval spellings include gabatha and gavita.^[4][5]

Etymology

The origin is unknown.^[6] The OLD compares Ancient Greek γαβαθόν (gabathón) and ζάβατος (zábatos), forms recorded by Hesychius,^[6][7] and Wiktionary the Byzantine Greek γαβάθα (gabátha).^[1] Köbler takes it as a loanword from an Eastern language,^[5] and Wiktionary thinks a Semitic source more likely, comparing Biblical Hebrew קֻבַּעַת (qubbáʿaṯ, “cup, goblet”) and Akkadian qabūtu (“cup”).^[1] Walde thought it probably Celtic.^[8] Lewis and Short derived it, with a perhaps, from cavus (“hollow”),^[9] as Isidore had done: he explains ⟨gavata⟩ as if ⟨cavata⟩, with ⟨g⟩ written for ⟨c⟩.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Martial, whom Köbler dates 40–102/103 AD, is the first to use it, of a dish or bowl at a meal: sic inplet gabatas paropsidesque, “so he fills the bowls and platters”.^{[6][10][11][5]}

Semantic evolution

In Martial it is a dish or bowl;^[6][9][10] later writers spell it ⟨gavata⟩.^[2] Medieval Latin used it for a dish or vessel, also of precious metal (a forged charter of Charlemagne lists twelve, two of gold and ten of silver), and for a chamber pot.^[4] Old High German ⟨gebita⟩ “dish” was borrowed from it.^[5][8] Its Romance descendants include Italian gavetta and French jatte.^[1][10]

Timeline

• 40–102/103 AD – Martial uses it for a dish or bowl.^[6][5]
• before 513 – Ennodius has the spelling gavata.^[2][5]
• 536–c. 610 – Venantius Fortunatus also writes gavata.^[2][5]
• c. 560–636 – Isidore of Seville explains gavata as if cavata, “hollowed”.^[7][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A dish or bowl.^[6][9][10]
2. (Medieval Latin) A vessel, also of gold or silver.^[4]
3. (Medieval Latin) A chamber pot.^[4][5]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
3. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
4. ^ a b c d Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d e f Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
8. ^ a b Walde, Alois (1906), Lateinisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
9. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
10. ^ a b c d Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
11. ^ VoLat: Vocabolario della Lingua Latina (2018), Milan: Hoepli