Etymologically
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orator

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [oːˈraː.tɔr][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [oˈraː.tor][1]

Forms

ōrātor m (genitive ōrātōris, feminine ōrātrīx); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin ōrō (“to plead, speak”) + -tor.[2][1] De Vaan derives ōrō from ōs (“mouth”) and says its first meaning was “to plead, speak openly”.[3] Varro says the orator was named from the speech (ōrātiō) he made before those to whom he was sent.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Ennius has “the envoy returns without peace”.[2] Köbler's first source is Naevius (c. 235–200 BC).[5]

Semantic evolution

It first meant an envoy or spokesman, one sent with a spoken message, as in Ennius, Plautus and Terence.[2][6] It then meant a public speaker, orator or advocate, as Ennius' “the good speaker is scorned, the rough soldier loved”.[2] The OLD quotes the definition “an orator, Marcus my son, is a good man skilled in speaking”, which Isidore repeats.[2][7]

Cicero's work Orator bears the name, and Lactantius calls Cicero simply “the orator”.[6] In medieval Latin it meant one who prays for another and a pilgrim.[8][5] English orator was borrowed in the late 14th century.[9]

Timeline

  • c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it.[5]
  • 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of an envoy and of a speaker.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero writes the Orator.[6][5]
  • late 14th century – English orator is borrowed.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. An envoy, ambassador, spokesman.[2][1]
  2. A public speaker, orator, advocate.[2][1]
  3. (Medieval Latin) One who prays for another; a pilgrim.[8]

Word family

  • ōrātōrius

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  4. ^ Marcus Terentius Varro, De lingua Latina (text of The Latin Library; book and paragraph numbers as there).
  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 Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ Isidore of Seville, Etymologiarum sive Originum libri XX, ed. W. M. Lindsay (Oxford, 1911).
  8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com