polaris

Forms

polāris (neuter polāre); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin polus + -āris.^[2][1] polus (“pole, end of an axis; the sky”) is itself Ancient Greek πόλος (pólos).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The DMLBS's earliest example is a letter by Wicbert written before 787 and preserved among the letters of Boniface, which calls God the almighty of the “heavenly hall” (polaris aula).^[2]

Semantic evolution

In medieval Latin it meant both “of the pole or the pole star” and, more loosely, “of the sky, heavenly”, often of the dwelling of God, the angels and the saints.^[2][3] Wiktionary marks the sense “of the (northern and southern) poles” as Late Latin.^[1] The phrase stella polaris named the pole star.^[1]

English took it over as polar in the 1550s, from French or directly from medieval Latin.^[4]

Timeline

• before 787 – A letter of Wicbert speaks of the polaris aula, the court of heaven.^[2]
• before 1275 – Latham's dictionary has a record cited by Köbler.^[3]
• 1550s – English borrows it as polar.^[4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (Late Latin, Medieval Latin) Of the poles of the sky or the earth, or of the pole star.^[2][1]
2. (Medieval Latin) Of the sky, heavenly.^[2][3]

Related words

• English polar

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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
3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com