Etymologically
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nonnus

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈnɔn.nʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈnɔn.nus][1]

Forms

nonnus m (genitive nonnī, feminine nonna); second declension[1]

Etymology

It is a nursery word meaning “daddy” or “nanny”, a reduplication of a nasal with a vowel, Proto-Indo-European *nana.[2][1] Similar words are Ancient Greek νέννος (nénnos, “uncle”), Ancient Greek νάννας (nánnas, “uncle, aunt”), Welsh nain (“grandmother”), Sanskrit नना (nanā́, “mother”) and Albanian nënë (“mother”).[2][1] The DMLBS compares Late Greek Ancient Greek νόννος (nónnos).[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan finds it in Ecclesiastical Latin.[2] Lewis and Short cite Jerome's letters, of monks and nuns.[5] Köbler's first source is Arnobius, whom he dates 297–310 AD.[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant a monk, and the feminine nonna a nun, as in Jerome.[5][4] In inscriptions it was a tutor or one who brings up a child, and the plural foster parents.[5][4] In Medieval Latin it was a senior or respected monk, also as a title.[3]

It survives in Italian nonno “grandfather”, Romanian nun “godfather” and Spanish ñoño “dull”.[1] Old English borrowed it as nonn “monk”.[6]

Timeline

  • 297–310 AD – Arnobius uses it.[6]
  • c. 383–419/420 AD – Jerome uses it of monks.[5][6]
  • before 987 – A letter to Dunstan uses it as a monk's title.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A monk.[5][4]
  2. A tutor, foster parent.[5][4]
  3. (Medieval Latin) A senior monk; a title of respect.[3]

Word family

  • nonna

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c 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 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
  4. ^ a b c d e Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de