Etymology and origin of the Latin word legenda
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Derivation
- First attested
- c. 870–880, Vita Liutbirgae
- Ultimate origin
- Latin legō#2
From the same root
Forms
legenda f (genitive legendae); first declension[1]
Etymology
It is from Latin legō2 (“to read”): the neuter plural of its gerundive, ⟨legenda⟩ “things to be read”, came to be used as a feminine singular noun.[2][3][1]
Earliest recorded meaning
Köbler's earliest source is the life of Liutbirga, about 870–880.[4][5]
Semantic evolution
It was first a reading, a sacred lesson to be read.[5] The lives of the saints were read on their feast days, at matins and in the refectories of religious houses,[2][6] so the word came to mean a saint's life, a legend, and a book collecting such lives;[5][6] in the testament of a cardinal of 1363 it is also the office of the dead read at a vigil.[6]
English took it over in the early 14th century as legend, partly through Old French.[2] In 1517 Eck could still treat the word as a term of the time when he spoke of the rather trivial legendae, “as they call them”, about the saints.[7]
Timeline
- c. 870–880 – The life of Liutbirga uses it.[4]
- early 14th century – Borrowed into English as legend.[2]
- 1363 – A cardinal's will uses it for the office of the dead.[6]
- 1517 – Johann Eck mentions legendae of the saints.[7]
Meanings
Noun
- (Medieval Latin) A reading, a sacred lesson.[5][3]
- (Medieval Latin) A saint's life, a legend.[5][6][1]
- (Medieval Latin) A collection of saints' lives, a legendary.[5][6]
- (Medieval Latin) The office of the dead read at a vigil.[6]
Related words
References
- ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
- ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ a b c d e f Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
- ^ a b c d e f g du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
- ^ a b Ramminger, Johann, Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, www.neulatein.de
Cite this entry
“Legenda.” Etymologically, 23 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/legenda. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.
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