pulmonarius

Forms

pulmōnārius, pulmōnāria, pulmōnārium (first and second declension)^[1][2]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin pulmō (“lung”) + -ārius.^[1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Columella uses it of sheep and pigs that suffer from a disease of the lungs, prescribing a root inserted through the ear.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

From an animal with diseased lungs the adjective passed to what heals the lungs: in Vegetius' veterinary work a root is called good for the lungs, and the herb itself is named pulmonaria.^[2][3] In British Medieval Latin pulmonaria was the name of plants used against lung disease, lungwort or crosswort.^[4] English pulmonary comes from French pulmonaire and directly from this word.^[5]

Timeline

• 1st century AD – Columella uses it of sick sheep and pigs.^[3][6]
• c. 400 AD – Vegetius uses it of a root good for the lungs and of the herb pulmonaria.^[3][2][6]
• 1704 – English pulmonary is first recorded.^[5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Suffering from a disease of the lungs.^[1][2]
2. (Late Latin) Good for the lungs.^[2][7]
3. (Late Latin, feminine as noun) A herb used against lung disease;^[3][4] (Medieval Latin) lungwort or crosswort.^[3][4]

Related words

• pulmō
• English pulmonary

References

1. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c 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
5. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn