matrimonialis

Forms

mātrimōniālis (neuter mātrimōniāle); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin mātrimōnium + -ālis, from mātrimōnium (“marriage”).^[2][3][1] Conte calls it Late Latin.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest example the dictionaries cite is in the Major Declamations ascribed to Quintilian, which speak of the solitude of the marriage bed (matrimonialis lectulus);^[3][5] Köbler dates them doubtfully to the 2nd century AD.^[6] Firmicus Maternus (343/350)^[6] has tabulae matrimoniales, a marriage contract.^[5][7]

Semantic evolution

It meant “of marriage”, “matrimonial”:^[2][5] Augustine uses it of marriage contracts, of marital intercourse for the sake of children and of marital fidelity.^[8][3] The glossaries render it Greek γαμικός (gamikós).^[9]

In medieval Latin it belonged especially to church law: causa matrimonialis was a marriage suit,^[10][11] and matrimonialis could also mean born of a lawful marriage.^[7] Neuter matrimoniale could mean a marriage, in a charter of 1178.^[12] Thomas Aquinas speaks of the actus matrimonialis and consensus matrimonialis.^[13] English took the word over in the mid-15th century, partly through French.^[14]

Timeline

• 343/350 AD – Firmicus Maternus writes of tabulae matrimoniales.^[5][6]
• 354–430 AD – Augustine uses it of marital intercourse and fidelity.^[3][8][6]
• 1178 – A charter uses the neuter matrimoniale for a marriage.^[12]
• 1195 – A British chronicle speaks of a causa matrimonialis.^[10]
• mid-15th century – Borrowed into English as matrimonial.^[14]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of or belonging to marriage, matrimonial.^[2][5][8]
2. (Medieval Latin) Born of a lawful marriage.^[7]
3. (Medieval Latin, law) causa matrimonialis: a marriage suit before a church court.^[10][11]

Noun

1. (Medieval Latin) mātrimōniāle (neuter): a marriage.^[12]

Related words

• mātrimōnium
• English matrimonial

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
5. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b c du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
8. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
9. ^ Goetz, Georg (1888–1923), Corpus glossariorum Latinorum, Leipzig: Teubner; vols. VI–VII Thesaurus glossarum emendatarum, digital ed. CGLO, Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
10. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
12. ^ a b c Novum Glossarium Mediae Latinitatis ab anno DCCC usque ad annum MCC (1957–), Copenhagen / Geneva / Paris: Union Académique Internationale; IRHT
13. ^ Schütz, Ludwig (1895), Thomas-Lexikon, 2nd ed., Paderborn: F. Schöningh
14. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com