glossa

Forms

glōssa f (genitive glōssae); first declension^[1] Medieval manuscripts often spell it glosa.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek γλῶσσα (glôssa, “tongue, language”).^[4][1][5] Köbler compares a root Proto-Indo-European *glōgʰ- (“point, prick”).^[5] Isidore of Seville explains that the word takes its name from the Greek for tongue.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Varro is the first to have it, in the plural, of collections of rare words with their explanations: he cites those “who wrote glossae” for the meaning of tesca.^[4][6][2][5]

Semantic evolution

Quintilian still writes the word in Greek letters, and Ausonius uses it for an obscure word that needs explaining.^[6][7] The grammarians used it both for a word of obscure sense, often a Greek one, and for the explanation given for it.^[2]

In Medieval Latin it meant a gloss added to a passage of a text and a series of such glosses forming a commentary,^[3] in particular the marginal and interlinear notes on Gratian's Decretum.^[8] British writers also used it in the Greek senses “tongue” and “language”.^[9] Italian chiosa continues it.^[2]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro cites the compilers of glossae.^[4][6][5]
• c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian writes the word in Greek letters.^[6][5]
• c. 310–394 AD – Ausonius uses it for an obscure word.^[6][7][5]
• c. 560–636 AD – Isidore of Seville derives its name from the Greek for tongue.^[2][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. An obsolete or foreign word that needs explanation.^[6][10][3]
2. (plural) A collection of such words with explanations, a glossary.^[4][6]
3. (Late Latin) An explanation of a difficult word.^[2][3]
4. (Medieval Latin) A gloss added to a passage of text; a marginal or interlinear note.^[3][8][9]
5. (Medieval Latin) A series of glosses, a commentary.^[3]
6. (Medieval Latin) The tongue; a language.^[9]

Word family

• glōsarium

Related words

• glossārium
• glossēma
• glossēmaticus
• glossopetra
• glottis

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c d e f Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
4. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
8. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
9. ^ 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
10. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.