Etymologically
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quartarium

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Forms

quartarium n (genitive quartariī); second declension[1] Spellings include cartarium, quarterium, carterium and quarteirium.[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Latin quārtus (“fourth”) + -ārium.[2] Niermeyer treats it together with the masculine and feminine forms in ⟨-ius⟩ and ⟨-ia⟩.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's earliest record is in Adalhard, in 822.[2]

Semantic evolution

It named a quarter of many things:[1][2] a quarter of a loaf or of a slaughtered beast, a quart of wine, a measure of capacity, a fourth part of a mansus and the area sown with a quarter of seed corn.[1] The glossaries of Papias and Johannes de Janua explain it as a measure holding a quarter of a sextārius.[3]

It also meant a quarter or district of a city,[1][3] a quarter of a year and, in heraldry, a quarter of a shield.[3]

Timeline

  • 822 – First recorded, in Adalhard.[2]
  • 1332 – A charter of Saint-Martin of Pontoise uses quarteria for quarters of a iūgerum.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (Medieval Latin) A quarter of a loaf or of a slaughtered animal.[1][2]
  2. (Medieval Latin) A quart of wine; a measure of capacity for grain.[1][3]
  3. (Medieval Latin) A fourth part of a mansus; a land measure.[1][2]
  4. (Medieval Latin) A quarter or district of a city.[1][3][2]
  5. (Medieval Latin) A quarter of a year.[3]
  6. (Medieval Latin, heraldry) A quarter of a shield.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre