Etymologically
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memoriale

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Forms

memoriāle n (genitive memoriālis); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin memoriālis (“of memory”), its neuter used as a noun.[2][3] The adjective is formed from memoria (“memory”),[4] itself from memor (“mindful”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's earliest source for it is Gellius, about AD 165.[5] In the Itala and the Vulgate it is the part of an offering that the priest burns on the altar as a “memorial”,[4] a term Rufinus explains.[4]

Semantic evolution

Its general sense was a memorial, a reminder or monument;[2][5] Macrobius uses the plural memorialia for memoirs.[2]

In medieval Latin it took many senses connected with remembrance: a tomb or funeral monument, the commemoration of someone in prayers, an obit, a distribution of food in memory of the dead, a written record or memorandum, a royal charter, and a register or notebook.[6][7] The statutes of Bologna of 1262 call the public registers of taxes and fines memorialia,[7] and in Bohemia it was a fee paid to court officials.[8] English took it as memorial in the late 14th century, partly through Old French.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 165 AD – Gellius has the word.[5]
  • after 220 AD – The Itala uses it for the memorial part of an offering.[4][5]
  • 390–406 AD – The Vulgate has the priest lay the memoriale on the altar.[4][5]
  • 1st half of the 5th century AD – Macrobius uses the plural for memoirs.[2][5]
  • 1262 – The statutes of Bologna name two public registers memorialia.[7]
  • late 14th century – English borrows it as memorial.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A memorial, reminder, monument.[2][5]
  2. (Biblical) The part of an offering burnt on the altar as a memorial.[4]
  3. (plural) Memoirs.[2]
  4. (Medieval Latin) A tomb, funeral monument.[6][7]
  5. (Medieval Latin) A commemoration in prayers; an obit; a food distribution in memory of the dead, a pittance.[6]
  6. (Medieval Latin) A written record, memorandum, royal charter; a register, notebook.[6][7]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b c d Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  7. ^ a b c d e du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
  8. ^ 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