logicalis

Forms

logicālis (neuter logicāle); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1] A spelling loicālis is recorded in Hungary and Poland.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is a Medieval Latin formation,^[4] from Latin logica + -ālis, from logica (“logic”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates its first record to about 1250, from Latham's word list of British Medieval Latin, with the sense “concerning logic”.^[1]

Semantic evolution

In the medieval schools it meant “logical, in accordance with logic” and was used of arguments, terms and definitions, and of books that dealt with logic.^[4][5] In Thomas Aquinas it is a synonym of logicus, “belonging to logic”.^[6]

As a neuter plural noun, logicālia meant treatises on logic, or logic as a university subject, and parva logicālia, the “Little Logicals”, was the name of an elementary textbook of the doctrine of terms.^[4][3]

Timeline

• c. 1250 – First recorded, according to Köbler.^[1]
• 1309 – A document from Legnica sorts books of the arts into grammatical, logical and natural ones.^[3]
• 1340 – Oxford statutes require a candidate to have read at least two logical books, one of the old and one of the new logic.^[4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Concerning logic, logical; in accordance with the rules of logic.^[5][4][6]
2. Of a book: dealing with logic.^[4]
3. (neuter plural as noun) logicālia: treatises on logic; logic as an academic discipline.^[4]
4. parva logicālia: the “Little Logicals”, an introductory textbook on terms and propositions.^[4][3]

Related words

• logicus

References

1. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
2. ^ Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
3. ^ a b c d Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
4. ^ a b c d e f g h 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
5. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
6. ^ a b Schütz, Ludwig (1895), Thomas-Lexikon, 2nd ed., Paderborn: F. Schöningh