Etymologically
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hospitalitas

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [hɔs.pɪˈtaː.lɪ.taːs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [os.piˈtaː.li.tas][1]

Forms

hospitālitās f (genitive hospitālitātis); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is from hospitālis “of a guest, hospitable” with the suffix -tās, from hospes “host, guest”.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lewis & Short cite Cicero, who says that Theophrastus rightly praised hospitality.[4][5] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant the entertainment of guests, hospitableness, as in Cicero and Martial.[2][4] Macrobius used it for the condition of a stranger.[5]

British Medieval Latin used it for hospitality and its provision, and Bede and Arbeo use it.[7][6] It survives in Italian ospitalità and Spanish hospitalidad, and through Old French ospitalité it gave English hospitality in the late 14th century.[1][3]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.[4][6]
  • 40–102/103 AD – Martial uses it.[4][6]
  • late 14th century – English hospitality is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Hospitality, the entertainment of guests.[2]
  2. The condition of a stranger.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ 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