novella

Forms

novella f (genitive novellae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is the feminine of the adjective novellus (“young, new”) used as a noun,^[2][3] at first in farming, with a word such as vītis (“vine”) understood.^[1][3] The adjective is formed from Latin novus (“new”) + -ellus.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Pliny the Elder uses it for a young plant or tree: charcoal from young trees is better.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

In Late Latin it meant a newly planted vine, and a young shoot or sucker:^[3][5] the Vulgate compares a man's sons to “olive shoots” (novellae olivarum).^[3][6] In the plural, Novellae (with constitutiones understood) were the Novels, the part of Roman law published after the Codex.^[3]

In medieval Latin it also meant newly cultivated land,^[7][6] and a piece of news, like French nouvelle.^[7][6]

Timeline

• 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder uses it for young trees.^[2][4]
• 390–406 AD – The Vulgate uses it for olive shoots.^[3][4]
• 6th century AD – Corippus uses it for a newly planted vine.^[3][5][4]
• 971 – A charter uses it for newly cultivated land.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. A young plant or tree; a newly planted vine.^[2][3][8]
2. A shoot, sucker.^[3][7]
3. (in the plural, law) The Novels, laws issued after the Codex.^[3]
4. (Medieval Latin) Newly cultivated land.^[7][6]
5. (Medieval Latin) A piece of news, tidings.^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b c d e du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
7. ^ a b c d e Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson