Etymologically
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magistratus

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ma.ɡɪsˈtraː.tʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ma.d͡ʒisˈtraː.tus][1]

Forms

magistrātus m (genitive magistrātūs); fourth declension[1] An early inscription has macisteratus.[2] A contracted magistrās occurs in an inscription.[3]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin magister + -ātus, “the office of a master”; the TLL allows also a verb ⟨magisterāre⟩.[2][3][4][1] De Vaan lists magister “master, commander” among the derivatives of magnus “great”, from Proto-Indo-European *m̥ǵ-no-; the root is *meǵh₂- (“great”).[5][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Plautus.[6] An early law in an inscription has seive magistratus volet moltare, “or if a magistrate wishes to fine”, and Cato speaks of someone who had held a curule magistracy.[2]

Semantic evolution

Magistrātus is first the office, a magistracy (magistrātum petere, to stand for office), and then the holder, a magistrate;[2][3][1] prō magistrātū is one acting in place of a magistrate.[2][3][1]

Church Latin glosses it “magistrate, high official, civil office”.[7] In Medieval Latin, from magister “teacher”, it is also teaching and the office of a schoolmaster.[8] English magistrate (late 14th century) came through Old French.[9]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Used by Plautus.[6]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato: quī magistrātum curūlem cēpisset.[2][6]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero speaks of a magistracy being taken away from someone.[2][6]
  • late 14th century – English magistrate.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A magistracy, public office.[2][3][1][7]
  2. A magistrate, official;[2][1][7] prō magistrātū, a pro-magistrate.[2][1][7]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Teaching; the office of schoolmaster.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ a b c d Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com