Etymologically
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lateralis

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ɫa.tɛˈraː.lɪs], [ɫa.tɛˈraː.liːs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [la.teˈraː.lis], [la.teˈraː.lis][1]

Forms

laterālis (neuter laterāle); third-declension two-termination adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin latus2 (“side, flank”) + -ālis.[2][3][1] De Vaan finds no good etymology for latus itself, an old s-stem.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first instance is lateralis dolor, “a pain in the side”, in a fragment quoted by Marius Victorinus,[3][5] which Lewis & Short assign to Ennius[3] and Conte and Köbler to Lucilius.[6][7]

Semantic evolution

Lewis & Short call the adjective ante- and post-classical.[3] Calpurnius has it of girths, and the Digest uses the neuter plural laterālia for saddlebags.[3][5] Boethius made it a term of geometry.[5]

In medieval Latin it meant “lying alongside, adjoining”, and also “of minor importance”; as a noun it named a companion or associate,[8] courtiers in the plural, and a wife.[9] Polish sources use it for collateral lines of kinship.[10] English borrowed it as lateral in the early 15th century.[11]

Timeline

  • c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius (or Ennius) speaks of lateralis dolor, a pain in the side.[6][7][3]
  • 1st century AD – Calpurnius uses it of girths.[3][5][7]
  • early 15th century – English borrows it as lateral.[11]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of or on the side of the body; lateral.[2][3]
  2. (geometry) Relating to the sides of a figure.[5][10]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Alongside, adjoining; of minor importance.[8]

Noun

  1. laterālia (neuter plural): saddlebags.[3][5]
  2. (Medieval Latin) A companion; in the plural, courtiers.[8][9]
  3. (Medieval Latin) A wife.[9]

Word family

  • laterālia

Usage notes

A separate, rare lateralis “made of bricks”, from later (“brick”), appears in Cassiodorus.[12][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 d e f Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  6. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  10. ^ a b Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
  11. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  12. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften