mulleus

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈmʊl.le.ʊs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈmul.le.us]^[1]

Forms

mulleus (feminine mullea, neuter mulleum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

The origin is uncertain.^[1] Driessen, followed by de Vaan, takes the original form to be mullus, remade as mulleus after calceus “shoe”, with which it always occurs, and reconstructs Proto-Italic *molwo-, from PIE *ml̥-wo-, comparing Lithuanian mul̃vas (“reddish, yellowish”).^[2] The OLD instead derives it from Proto-Indo-European *mel- (“dark”), as in Ancient Greek μέλας (mélas, “black”), and Köbler agrees.^[3][4] Driessen rejects this on phonetic grounds.^[2] A link with mullus “red mullet” is considered folk etymology.^[1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Cato.^[2] Köbler dates Cato 234–149 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It described red shoes, calceī mulleī, high-soled and worn by patricians.^[3] Isidore describes them.^[3] Lewis and Short say they were worn by the three highest magistrates, and Festus reports that the kings of Alba wore them first, then the patricians, deriving the name from mullāre “to sew”.^[5] Used alone, mulleus meant such a shoe.^[3][6]

In medieval British Latin it was a kind of shoe.^[7] Through the feminine it is the source of French mule and Italian mula, and it was borrowed as English mule.^[1]

Timeline

• 234–149 BC – Cato uses the word.^[2][4]
• 2nd half of the 2nd century AD – Festus explains the name of the shoe.^[5][4]
• c. 560–636 AD – Isidore describes the shoes.^[3][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (of shoes) Red, calceī mulleī, red high-soled shoes of the patricians.^[3][1]

Noun

1. A red patrician shoe.^[3][6]

Word family

• mulleolus

Related words

• calceus
• English mule

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ 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