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notificatio

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word notificatio

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1150
Ultimate origin
Latin nōtificō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin notus
Latin notifico
English notify
Latin notificatio
From the same root
Latin notesco ← notus

Forms

nōtificātiō f (genitive nōtificātiōnis); third declension[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Latin nōtificō + -tiō, the action noun of the verb meaning “to make known”.[1][3][4] That verb is formed from nōtus (“known”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is a medieval word;[1] Köbler's earliest source dates from about 1150.[1] Osbern of Gloucester lists it beside notificamen and demonstratio in his Derivationes.[6]

Semantic evolution

In British Medieval Latin it meant the act of making something known, a declaration or statement, a definition, and a text that is made known, such as the copy of a charter.[6] In Polish Latin it could also mean a mark or sign, such as a notch cut in a tally stick.[3] In Ecclesiastical Latin it is a notification, especially a clarification of an existing law.[2]

English took over the word as notification in the late 14th century, from Old French and directly from Medieval Latin.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 1150 – The word is first recorded.[1]
  • late 14th century – English borrows it as notificacioun, “a sign, a token”.[4]
  • 1390 – An Oxford formulary uses it of making one's mind known.[6]
  • 1518 – A Polish record uses it of a notch marking a quantity of salt.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The act of making known; a notification, communication.[6][1][2]
  2. A declaration or statement, also one claiming a qualification or exemption.[6][3]
  3. A definition.[6]
  4. Something made known; a copy of a text.[6]
  5. A mark or sign.[3]
  6. (Ecclesiastical Latin) A clarification of an existing law, like a declaration.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  2. ^ a b c d Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  3. ^ a b c d e Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g 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

“Notificatio.” Etymologically, 24 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/notificatio. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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