marculus

Forms

marculus m (genitive marculī); second declension^[1] A by-form martulus is found in Pliny the Elder.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is probably from Latin malleus (“hammer”): the OLD derives it, with a query, from ⟨*mal-tlos⟩, comparing malleus,^[2] Niedermann connected marculus with malleus,^[4] and de Vaan lists marculus among the derivatives of malleus,^[5] which he traces to Proto-Indo-European *molH-lo- or *molH-tlo- (“crushing instrument”).^[5] Wiktionary calls the origin disputed and mentions a possible link with the root Proto-Indo-European *melh₂- (“to grind”).^[1] The ancient grammarians took it as a diminutive of marcus (“large hammer”): so Paul's excerpt of Festus,^[4][6] and Isidore, who calls it a tiny hammer.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan finds it from Lucilius (c. 180–102 BC) on,^[5][7] where it means a small hammer.^[3][8]

Semantic evolution

In Classical Latin it is a small hammer or mallet, used by Martial and Fronto;^[2][3] Pliny the Elder has the by-form martulus.^[3][6] Glossaries render it with Greek words for a hammer.^[4]

It stayed in use in the Middle Ages: the NGML quotes it from the Astronomer's life of Louis, beside nails,^[9] and British writers use it of the hammers with which stonemasons split rough stone.^[10]

Timeline

• c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius uses it.^[3][8][7]
• 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder has the form martulus.^[3][7]
• 40–102/103 AD – Martial uses it.^[2][7]
• c. 560–636 AD – Isidore of Seville defines it as a tiny hammer.^[4][7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A small hammer, a mallet.^[2][6][10]

Usage notes

Paul's excerpt of Festus also records Marculus as a pet form of the name Marcus,^[2][6] and Du Cange has a separate medieval marculus, a small coin named from the Italian marco.^[11]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
4. ^ a b c d e Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b c 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 Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
8. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
9. ^ Novum Glossarium Mediae Latinitatis ab anno DCCC usque ad annum MCC (1957–), Copenhagen / Geneva / Paris: Union Académique Internationale; IRHT
10. ^ 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
11. ^ du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre