iudaeus

Forms

iūdaeus (feminine iūdaea, neuter iūdaeum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἰουδαῖος (Ioudaîos),^[1][2] from the name of Biblical Hebrew יְהוּדָה (Yehûdâ, “Judah”).^[1][3] Georges and Köbler treat it as the adjective of Iūdaea (“Judaea”), from Ἰουδαία (Ioudaía).^[4][5] Etymonline places an Aramaic form between the Greek word and the Hebrew name.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source for the noun is Cicero,^[5] who uses the plural Iudaei, “the Jews”, in his speech for Flaccus.^[6]

Semantic evolution

As an adjective it means “of Judaea, Jewish”;^[5][7] Pliny the Elder uses it so,^[5][7] and Columella calls a man Iudaeae gentis homo, “a man of the Jewish people”.^[4] As a noun, masculine or feminine, it means a Jew or a Jewish woman.^[8] Horace writes credat Iudaeus Apella, non ego (“let Apella the Jew believe it, not I”).^[8]

In Christian and Medieval Latin it is the usual word for a Jew,^[9][2] and through Anglo-French and Old French it gave English Jew.^[3]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero speaks of the Jews, Iudaei.^[6][5]
• 65–8 BC – Horace writes credat Iudaeus Apella, non ego.^[8]
• 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder uses it as an adjective.^[5][6]
• c. 67–c. 127 AD – Juvenal uses the feminine Iudaea of a Jewish woman.^[8][6]
• c. 510–570 AD – Gildas tells how Judas went to the Jews to sell God.^[2][5]
• late 12th century – English has the word as Giw, from Anglo-French.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of Judaea or its people; Jewish.^[8][6]

Noun

1. A Jew; in the feminine, a Jewish woman.^[8][6][9]

Related words

• iūdaicus
• English Jew

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
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 Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b c d e f Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson