salsicius

Forms

salsīcius (feminine salsīcia, neuter salsīcium); first/second-declension adjective^[1] Salsītius is a variant spelling.^[2][3] The medieval noun is salsīcia, also salsūcia.^[3][4]

Etymology

It is from Latin salsus (“salted”) + -īcius.^[1][2] The DMLBS explains salsus as the past participle of sallō (“to salt”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first attested in Acro's commentary on Horace, in the phrase farta salsicia, a kind of sausage.^[1][2][3]

Semantic evolution

The adjective means prepared with salt.^[1][5] Its feminine, used as a noun, became the medieval word for a sausage, salsicia, which glosses Old High German wurst^[3] and which Osbern of Gloucester uses to explain words for small sausages.^[4] Italian salsiccia continues it, and Catalan salsitxa, Spanish salchicha and Portuguese salsicha were borrowed from Italian.^[1]

Timeline

• 2nd century AD – Acro has farta salsicia “stuffed sausages”.^[1][2][3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Prepared with salt, salted.^[1][2][5]

Noun

1. (Medieval Latin; feminine salsīcia) A sausage.^[4][3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
3. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.