pastoralis

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [paːs.toːˈraː.lɪs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [pas.toˈraː.lis]^[1]

Forms

pāstōrālis (neuter pāstōrāle); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from pāstor “shepherd” with the suffix -ālis; ⟨pāstor⟩ is from pāscō “to graze”.^[2][1][3] De Vaan traces ⟨pāscō⟩ to Proto-Indo-European *peh₂-s- (“to protect, herd”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD, Lewis & Short and Köbler cite Varro, vīta pāstōrālis “a shepherd's life”.^[2][5][6] Köbler dates Varro 116–27 BC.^[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant of herdsmen or shepherds, pastoral, as in Varro, Cicero, of Romulus, and Livy, and Apollo was called pāstōrālis.^[2][5][7]

In the Church it meant of a pastor, a bishop or an abbot, episcopal, abbatial, and watchful.^[8][9] As a noun pāstōrāle was a pasture.^[8] British Medieval Latin had canis pāstōrālis “sheepdog” and carmen pāstōrāle a pastoral poem.^[10] English pastoral (early 15th century) came through Old French and directly from Latin.^[3]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it.^[2][6]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.^[7][6]
• early 15th century – English pastoral is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of shepherds or herdsmen, pastoral.^[2]
2. (Ecclesiastical Latin) Of a pastor; episcopal, abbatial.^[8]

Noun

1. (Medieval Latin) (pāstōrāle) A pasture.^[8]

Related words

• pāstor
• pāscō
• pāstus
• English pastoral

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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b 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
7. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
8. ^ a b c d Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
9. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
10. ^ 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