mineralis

Forms

minerālis (neuter minerāle); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin minera (“mine”) + -ālis.^[1][2] Niermeyer derives it from the variant minarium.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in Robert Grosseteste (1220–1235),^[4] who speaks of the forms of the elements and of “mineral bodies”.^[5]

Semantic evolution

In scholastic natural philosophy virtūs minerālis was the power that forms minerals in the earth,^[5] and in alchemy sōl minerālis was gold.^[5] In charters it meant simply “of a mine”.^[5][6]

The neuter used as a noun, minerāle, meant something mined; it is the source of English mineral, borrowed in the late 14th century partly through Old French.^[2] Glossaries explain the plural minerālia as bodies formed in the veins of the earth, such as lead and the other metals.^[7]

Timeline

• 1220–1235 – Robert Grosseteste writes of mineral bodies.^[4][5]
• late 14th century – English borrows the noun as mineral, “a substance obtained by mining”.^[2]
• 1494 – A Hungarian grant speaks of mine workings.^[6]
• 1577 – An English patent roll mentions houses built over mines.^[5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (Medieval Latin) Of or at a mine.^[5][6]
2. (Medieval Latin) virtūs minerālis: the power that produces minerals.^[5]
3. (Medieval Latin) Mineral, of the nature of a mineral or containing mineral matter.^[1][3][5]
4. (alchemy) sōl minerālis: gold.^[5]

Noun

1. (Medieval Latin, neuter minerāle) Something mined; a mineral; in the plural, the bodies formed in the veins of the earth.^[2][7]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
4. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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
6. ^ a b c Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
7. ^ a b du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre