myrias

Forms

mȳrias f (genitive mȳriadis); third declension^[1] The accusative plural is myriadas, as in Greek.^[2][3] Medieval writers also spell it mirias.^[3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek μυριάς (muriás, “ten thousand”),^[1][5][2] from μυρίος (muríos, “countless”).^[5][6] Its further origin is not certainly explained.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Georges cites it from the Latin translation of Irenaeus and Bede's work on numbers,^[2] of the 8th century.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant the number ten thousand, or a myriad, in Christian and medieval Latin.^[7][8][4] Medieval writers used it for a countless number: of people, of money or of years,^[9] and of the hosts of heaven, the countless angels.^[4][3] Humanist translators of Plutarch used it for the Greek ten thousand.^[10][4] English took myriad in the 1550s, from French and directly from the Late Latin word.^[6]

Timeline

• 1st third of 8th century AD – Bede uses it in his work on numbers.^[2][5]
• 1550s – English borrows myriad, partly from it.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Late Latin) The number ten thousand, a myriad.^{[7][8][4][10]}
2. (Medieval Latin) A countless number, a multitude.^[4][9]

Related words

• English myriad

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
3. ^ a b c Novum Glossarium Mediae Latinitatis ab anno DCCC usque ad annum MCC (1957–), Copenhagen / Geneva / Paris: Union Académique Internationale; IRHT
4. ^ a b c d e f Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
9. ^ 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
10. ^ a b Ramminger, Johann, Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, www.neulatein.de