illuminatio

Forms

illūminātiō f (genitive illūminātiōnis); third declension^[1] It is also spelled inluminatio.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin illūminō + -tiō,^[2][3][4] the verb being made from lūmen (“light”) with the prefix in-¹.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD gives a single passage, in the Major Declamations ascribed to Quintilian, where it means illustriousness: the distinction of sons, it says, does not come from their ancestors.^[2] The TLL's dated record starts with Tertullian (c. 160–220 AD) and the Old Latin Bible.^[3][6]

Semantic evolution

In Late Latin it meant a lighting up: Macrobius used it of the sun,^[4][7] and the Old Latin Bible of the lights in the sky.^[3] Glossaries render it with Ancient Greek φωτισμός (phōtismós).^[8][3] Christian writers used it of manifestation and of spiritual enlightenment, inspiration and sanctification;^[9][10] Ambrose wrote of the light of God's countenance.^[4]

Medieval Latin added baptism, visions, the light of religious truth and conversion, and the illumination of manuscripts.^[11] It also meant lighting a church with candles, the restoration of sight, and, as a title, one who enlightens.^[12]

English took it over in the late 14th century, first for spiritual enlightenment.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian uses it figuratively.^[4][3][6]
• after 220 AD – The Old Latin Bible uses it of the lights in the heavens.^[3][6]
• c. 340–397 AD – Ambrose writes of the light of God's face.^[4][6]
• 1st half of the 5th century AD – Macrobius uses it of the sun's light.^[4][6]
• late 14th century – English borrows it as illuminacioun.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. Illustriousness, glory.^[2]
2. (Late Latin) A lighting up, illumination.^[4][3][13]
3. (Ecclesiastical Latin) Enlightenment, inspiration, sanctification; a manifestation.^[9][10][11]
4. (Medieval Latin) Baptism.^[11]
5. (Medieval Latin) A vision, apparition.^[11]
6. (Medieval Latin) The decoration of a manuscript, miniature painting.^[11][12]
7. (Medieval Latin) The restoration of sight.^[12]

Related words

• English illumination

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
8. ^ Goetz, Georg (1888–1923), Corpus glossariorum Latinorum, Leipzig: Teubner; vols. VI–VII Thesaurus glossarum emendatarum, digital ed. CGLO, Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
9. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
10. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
11. ^ a b c d e Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
12. ^ a b c Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
13. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.