Etymologically
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immunitas

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ɪmˈmuː.nɪ.taːs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [imˈmuː.ni.tas][1]

Forms

immūnitās f (genitive immūnitātis); third declension[1] It is also spelled inmūnitās.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin immūnis (“exempt, free”) + -tās.[2][1] immūnis is formed from in- (“not”) and the stem of mūnus (“duty, obligation”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *moini- (“duty, obligation, task”); its Indo-European source, perhaps meaning exchange, is uncertain.[1][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the OLD's earliest quotation Cicero asks what exemption from tax, what citizenship, what reward someone has not sold.[2]

Semantic evolution

It is exemption from taxes or tribute, and more widely from any public service, burden or duty: Caesar writes that the Druids are exempt from military service and all other burdens.[2][3] Cicero has the rare genitive plural ⟨immūnitātium⟩.[3] In the Frankish kingdoms it was the privilege of immunity: first exemption from public charges, then a ban on royal agents entering the privileged estate.[5] English immunity comes from it, partly through Old French, from the late 14th century.[6]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of exemption from tax.[2][7]
  • c. 50 BC – Caesar of the Druids' exemption from all burdens.[2][3][7]
  • medieval – The Frankish privilege of immunity.[5]
  • late 14th century – English immunity.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Exemption from taxes or tribute.[2][1]
  2. Exemption from any public service, burden or duty, immunity.[2][3][1][8]
  3. (Medieval Latin) The privilege of immunity of an estate from royal officials.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson