revelator

Forms

revēlātor m (genitive revēlātōris); third declension^[1][2]

Etymology

It is an agent noun from Latin revēlō (“to uncover, reveal”), formed with the suffix -tor.^[2][3] Conte counts it among the Late Latin words, the source of Italian rivelatore.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in Tertullian's treatise against Marcion, in the sense of one who reveals or makes known.^[1][2][3]

Semantic evolution

The word belongs to Ecclesiastical Latin;^[1] Georges records it again in a sermon of Augustine.^[2] In the Middle Ages it was used of anyone who discloses something, with the thing disclosed in the genitive, such as a confession or the plans of a city, and also with reference to a verse of Daniel (2:22).^[5]

Timeline

• c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian uses it in his work against Marcion.^[1][3]
• 354–430 AD – Augustine uses it in a sermon.^[2][3]
• Middle Ages – British writers use it of a person who discloses a confession or a secret.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Ecclesiastical Latin) A revealer, one who makes something known.^[1][2][6]
2. (Medieval Latin) One who discloses a secret or a confession.^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
2. ^ a b c d e f Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
5. ^ 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
6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.