manifestatio

Forms

manifestātiō f (genitive manifestātiōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin manifestō² (“to make public, reveal”) + -tiō,^[1][2][3] and the verb comes from manifestus (“evident, plain”).^[1][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's earliest source is the Old Latin Bible, the Itala (after 220 AD), where it means a making known or revelation.^[4][2]

Semantic evolution

It is a Christian word, favoured above all by Augustine and Fulgentius of Ruspe.^[5] Augustine writes of the manifestation of suae praesentiae, “his presence”, and Sulpicius Severus of the manifestation tantae virtutis, “of such great power”.^[6][3]

In Medieval Latin it also meant an apparition, a demonstration or proof, evidence given in court, a confession or plea of guilty, and a gift between living persons.^[7] In British law it was the formal accusation that followed an arrest in the act.^[8] English borrowed manifestation from Late Latin in the early 15th century.^[9]

Timeline

• after 220 AD – The Itala, the Old Latin Bible, has it.^[4]
• 354–430 AD – Augustine uses it in the City of God.^[6][4]
• c. 363–c. 420 AD – Sulpicius Severus uses it in his Dialogues.^[6][4]
• 806 – It appears in a charter.^[4]
• early 15th century – English borrows it as manifestation.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Late Latin) A making known, manifestation, revelation, display.^[6][2][10]
2. (Medieval Latin) An apparition.^[7]
3. (Medieval Latin) A demonstration; a sign or proof.^[7]
4. (Medieval Latin, law) Evidence, testimony; a confession, a plea of guilty.^[7]
5. (Medieval Latin, law) The accusation that follows an arrest in the act.^[8]
6. (Medieval Latin) A gift between living persons.^[7]

Related words

• manifestus
• English manifestation

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
3. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
6. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
8. ^ a b 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
9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson