iudaicus

Forms

iūdaicus (feminine iūdaica, neuter iūdaicum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἰουδαϊκός (Ioudaïkós),^[2][3][4] the adjective of Ἰουδαῖος (Ioudaîos, “Jew”),^[4] which goes back to the name of Biblical Hebrew יְהוּדָה (Yehûdâ, “Judah”).^[1] Köbler and Georges place it among the derivatives of Iūdaea (“Judaea”).^[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first use is in Cicero's speech for Flaccus, where he speaks of the ill will roused by the “Jewish gold”.^[7][8][5]

Semantic evolution

In Classical Latin it means “relating to the Jews” and “of or from Judaea”: Tacitus uses it of troops stationed in Judaea and calls unleavened bread panis Iudaicus,^[3][8] and Scribonius Largus prescribes bitumen of Judaea.^[7] Isidore of Seville describes a Iudaicus lapis, a white stone shaped like an acorn.^[9]

Christian and Medieval Latin used it widely of the Jewish people and their law;^[5][2] Bede speaks of the Iudaica gens.^[2] English borrowed Judaic in the 1610s, from French and directly from Latin.^[4]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero speaks of the “Jewish gold”.^[7][5]
• 98–115 AD – Tacitus calls unleavened bread panis Iudaicus.^[8][3]
• c. 560–636 AD – Isidore of Seville describes the Iudaicus lapis.^[9]
• 1st third of the 8th century – Bede uses it of the Jewish people.^[2][5]
• 1610s – English borrows it as Judaic.^[4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of or from Judaea; of troops, stationed in Judaea.^[7][3]
2. Relating to the Jews, Jewish.^[7][8]
3. panis Iūdaicus: unleavened bread.^[8][3]

Related words

• iūdaeus

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d 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 e Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
7. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b c d e Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
9. ^ a b Isidore of Seville, Etymologiarum sive Originum libri XX, ed. W. M. Lindsay (Oxford, 1911).