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sacerdotalis

Etymology and origin of the Latin word sacerdotalis

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Velleius Paterculus
Ultimate origin
Latin (sacerdōs)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [sa.kɛr.doːˈtaː.lɪs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [sa.t͡ʃer.doˈtaː.lis][1]

Forms

sacerdōtālis (neuter sacerdōtāle); third-declension two-termination adjective[1] Inscriptions have sacerdōtiālis.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from sacerdōs “priest” with the suffix -ālis.[2][1][4] De Vaan explains ⟨sacerdōs⟩ as Proto-Italic ⟨*sakro-dōt-⟩ “who has sacred endowments”, with the second element from Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- (“to give”), following Strunk and Nussbaum, rather than the older derivation from ⟨*dʰeh₁-⟩ “to place”.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Velleius Paterculus, whom he dates c. 20 BC–30 AD.[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant connected with priests or the priesthood, priestly, and as a masculine plural noun men of priestly rank.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant sacerdotal, priestly.[7] It survives in Italian sacerdotale and Spanish sacerdotal, and through Old French it gave English sacerdotal about 1400.[1][4]

Timeline

  • c. 20 BC–30 AD – Velleius Paterculus uses it.[6]
  • c. 1400 – English sacerdotal is recorded.[4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Priestly, sacerdotal.[2]
  2. (as a plural noun) Men of priestly rank.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  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 Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Cite this entry

“Sacerdotalis.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/sacerdotalis. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·