mansus

Forms

mānsus m (genitive mānsūs); fourth declension^[1][2] In medieval Latin it is also of the second declension, and has the forms mansis, mansum, mansa, masus, masa, massus and massa.^[3]

Etymology

It is from Latin maneō (“to stay, remain”), formed with the suffix -tus of verbal nouns,^[1][4][3] and is the noun use of its past participle mānsus.^[5] De Vaan explains that participle as a secondary formation, the original form having been one in ⟨-nt-⟩, as in mantō (“to remain, wait”).^[6] The verb goes back to Proto-Indo-European *mn-eh₁- (“to remain”).^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record is an inscription that invites someone to come to the Gabinianum pro masu, “for lodging”,^[1][4] with the sense lodging or a stay overnight.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The Life of the Jura Fathers uses it for an overnight stay.^[4] From the 6th century on it is a common word of charters, capitularies and councils,^[2] in several genders and spellings.^[3] Niermeyer's senses run from a dwelling or house, to a homestead with its buildings and yard, the site for one, the homestead with its arable land, an independent estate, a holding forming part of a manor, and as much land as makes up such a holding, a measure of land.^[3] The mansus dominicatus was the lord's own manor with its demesne land.^[3] Glosses render it with Old High German words for a holding,^[2] and in Bohemia and Poland it was a measure of land of varying size.^[7][8] English manse, a mansion house, comes from it.^[5]

Timeline

• Classical Latin – An inscription (CIL IV 1314) uses the spelling masus for lodging.^[1][4]
• 6th century – Medieval documents begin to use it for a dwelling and a farmstead.^[2]
• late 15th century – English borrows manse for a mansion house.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. Lodging; a stay overnight.^[1][4]
2. (Medieval Latin) A dwelling, house.^[3]
3. (Medieval Latin) A homestead, a rural dwelling with its outbuildings and yard; the site for one.^[3]
4. (Medieval Latin) A homestead with its arable land; an independent estate.^[3]
5. (Medieval Latin) A holding within a manor, a manse;^[3] mansus dominicatus, the lord's manor with its demesne.^[3]
6. (Medieval Latin) As much land as makes up a manse, a measure of land.^[3][7]

Related words

• mānsiō
• manerium
• English manse

Usage notes

A rare noun mansus “chewing”, from mandō “to chew”, occurs once, in a letter of Claudianus Mamertus.^[4][2] Mānsus is also the past participle of maneō and of that verb.^[9][10]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
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 e f g h i j k Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e f g Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
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. ^ Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
9. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
10. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.