recreatio

Forms

recreātiō f (genitive recreātiōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin recreō (“to restore, refresh”) + -tiō.^[2][1][3] The verb recreō is made of re- (“again”) and creō (“to make, create”),^[4] whose stem de Vaan reconstructs as Proto-Italic *krē-jā-.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Pliny the Elder (23/24–79 AD) has it in the Natural History for recovery from illness: he calls laser effective in food ab aegritudine recreationi, “for recovery from sickness”.^[2][6][3][7]

Semantic evolution

Late authors used it of restoring the body and of relief from cares;^[3] Chalcidius speaks of a pause made for the refreshment of his readers.^[8][3] Augustine used it figuratively of the restoring milk of the Catholic faith.^[3] Glossaries equate it with Greek παλιγγενεσία (palingenesía, “rebirth”) and regeneratio.^[3]

In medieval Latin it meant joy and comfort, and relaxation or pastime.^[9] British sources use it for God's new creation, for refreshment by food, drink or rest, and for entertainment, including the relaxation allowed to monks.^[10] English took it over in the late 14th century, through Old French, as recreation, first meaning refreshment or cure.^[4]

Timeline

• 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder uses it for recovery from illness.^[2][7]
• c. 300 AD – Chalcidius uses it of refreshing his readers.^[8][7]
• 354–430 AD – Augustine uses it figuratively.^[3][7]
• 1260 – An English royal mandate asks for a boat with young men to play on the Thames ad nostram recreationem, “for our recreation”.^[10]
• late 14th century – Borrowed into English as recreation.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. Restoration, recovery (from illness), convalescence.^[2][6][11]
2. (Late Latin) Refreshment, relief of body or mind.^[3][8]
3. (Late Latin) Rebirth, regeneration (in glosses).^[3]
4. (Medieval Latin) Joy, comfort.^[9]
5. (Medieval Latin) Relaxation, pastime, entertainment.^[9][10]
6. (Medieval Latin) New creation (by God).^[10]

Related words

• English recreation

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
8. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
9. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
10. ^ a b c d 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
11. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier