legista

Forms

lēgista m (genitive lēgistae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin lēx (“law”) + -ista.^[1][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Alcuin, in a letter written before 797, calls Moses the leader and lēgista of the people of Israel.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It is a Medieval Latin word for someone learned in law.^[4][1][2] Du Cange quotes Uguccio and John of Genoa defining it as one who teaches the laws or devotes himself to them.^[5] It often meant a civil lawyer as opposed to a canonist, a dēcrētista,^[3] and Hungarian and Czech sources likewise gloss it as an expert in (civil) law.^[6][7] Köbler finds it in charters from 1188.^[2] Neo-Latin writers such as Campanella kept it.^[8]

Timeline

• before 797 – Alcuin uses it of Moses in a letter.^[3]
• 1188 – It appears in a charter.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Medieval Latin) A legist, one skilled in law, a jurist.^[4][1][2]
2. (Medieval Latin) A civil lawyer, as distinct from a canonist.^[3]
3. (Medieval Latin) One who teaches or studies the laws.^[5][7]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
5. ^ a b du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
6. ^ Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
7. ^ a b Latinitatis medii aevi lexicon Bohemorum / Slovník středověké latiny v českých zemích (1977–), Prague: Academia; electronic version, Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences
8. ^ Ramminger, Johann, Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, www.neulatein.de