Etymologically
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laudator

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ɫau̯ˈdaː.tɔr][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [lau̯ˈdaː.tor][1]

Forms

laudātor m (genitive laudātōris, feminine laudātrīx); third declension[1] The feminine is laudātrīx.[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin laudō (“to praise”) + -tor.[2][1] The verb laudō is made from laus (“praise”),[3] whose origin is uncertain: the only proposed link is with Germanic words for “song”, as Gothic 𐌰𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌸 (awiliuþ, “song of praise”), which would require a preform ⟨*lou-Vd(ʰ)-⟩.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is the Rhetorica ad Herennium.[4]

Semantic evolution

It is a person who praises, as Cicero's praisers of integrity and of pleasure, and Horace's old man, laudātor temporis ācti “a praiser of time gone by”.[2][5] In particular it is one who delivers a funeral eulogy, as in Livy and Pliny the Younger, and in court a character witness for the accused, as in Cicero's speeches against Verres.[2][5] Church Latin glosses it “one who praises”.[6] In Medieval Latin it is one who vouches that a witness is law-worthy, and one who gives assent to a deed.[7]

Timeline

  • 86/82 BC – The Rhetorica ad Herennium.[4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of praisers and of character witnesses.[2][5][4]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace of the praiser of time gone by.[5][4]
  • 59 BC–17 AD – Livy of a funeral eulogist.[2][5][4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A praiser, eulogist.[2][5][6][1]
  2. One who delivers a funeral panegyric.[2][5]
  3. (law) A character witness for the accused.[2][5]
  4. (Medieval Latin) One who vouches for a witness; one who assents to a deed.[7]

Word family

  • laudatorius

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f 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 de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill