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nomenclator

Etymology and origin of the Latin word nomenclator

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
Cicero
Ultimate origin
Latin (nōmen,calō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [noː.mɛŋˈkɫaː.tɔr][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [no.meŋˈklaː.tor][1]

Forms

nōmenclātor m (genitive nōmenclātōris); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is from nōmen “name” and calō “to call out” with the agent suffix -tor.[1][2][3] Martial and Suetonius have ⟨nōmenculātor⟩, and an inscription ⟨numunclātor⟩.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Cicero, of a slave who told his master the names of people.[2] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant one who calls people by name, and especially a slave who accompanied his master and told him the names of those he met, as in Cicero.[2][6] In Petronius it was a slave who announced the dishes at a feast.[2] Under the Empire it was an official title, as nōmenclātor cēnsōrius, dealing with admissions to the senate and the equestrian order.[2]

British Medieval Latin used it of an official of the papal administration in Rome.[7] The word was borrowed as nomenclator, and its derivative nōmenclātūra gave English nomenclature about 1600.[1][3]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of a name-telling slave.[2][5]
  • before 66 AD – Petronius uses it of a slave announcing dishes.[2][5]
  • 745 AD – A papal synod has a numenculator.[7]
  • c. 1600 – English nomenclature is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. One who calls people by name.[2]
  2. A slave who told his master people's names.[2]
  3. A slave who announced the dishes.[2]
  4. An imperial official for admissions.[2]
  5. (Medieval Latin) A papal official.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ 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
Cite this entry

“Nomenclator.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/nomenclator. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·