Etymologically

scholaris

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 24 October 2026 at 04:48. This address is a permanent link to this version.

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [skʰɔˈɫaː.rɪs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [skoˈlaː.ris][1]

Forms

scholāris (neuter scholāre); third-declension two-termination adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin schola (“school”) + -āris.[2][1][3] The noun schola is from Ancient Greek σχολή (skholḗ, “leisure; lecture; school”).[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's only citation is a Latin papyrus (P Mich 468) that mentions chartas scholares duas, two sheets of school paper.[2] Köbler's first author is Prudentius, who speaks of the murmur of a school.[6][3][7]

Semantic evolution

In Late Latin it meant “of a school”: Martianus Capella has it of the first elements of learning and Jerome of a school declamation.[3][8][9] Since schola was also a corps of the palace guard, Sulpicius Severus speaks of the scholārēs ālae, the guard cavalry, and the Theodosian and Justinian codes use scholārēs for the imperial guard.[7][3][8]

Medieval Latin used the noun for a soldier of the royal guard, a pupil or student, and a scholast in charge of a school.[10] British sources have puer scholaris for a schoolboy, the noun for a student at a university, and the adjective for what is learned or scholarly.[11] Du Cange records it for a master who teaches in the schools and for a girl being brought up for the monastic life.[12] The word was widely borrowed: Old English took it as scolere, the source of English scholar, and Old High German as skuolāri.[13][6]

Timeline

  • 348/49–c. 413 AD – Prudentius speaks of the murmur of a school.[3][7][6]
  • c. 363–c. 420 AD – Sulpicius Severus uses it of the guard cavalry.[7][8][6]
  • c. 383–419/420 AD – Jerome speaks of a school declamation.[3][6]
  • 438 AD – The Theodosian Code uses scholārēs for the imperial guard.[3][6]
  • 5th century AD – Martianus Capella uses it of the elements of learning.[3][6]
  • 1155 – Peter of Blois, in a letter, speaks of the camps of the schools.[11]
  • 1214 – In an inquiry a nun says she had been a scholaris, a girl brought up for the monastic life.[12]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of a school, used in school.[2][3][7]
  2. (Late Latin) Of the imperial guard.[7][8]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Of scholars or studies; scholarly, learned.[11][6]

Noun

  1. (Late Latin, in the plural) The imperial guard.[3][7][8][1]
  2. (Medieval Latin) A soldier of the royal guard.[10]
  3. (Medieval Latin) A pupil, student, scholar.[10][11][1]
  4. (Medieval Latin) A master of a school, a scholast.[10][12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c 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 j Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ Saalfeld, Günther Alexander (1874), Index Graecorum vocabulorum in linguam latinam translatorum, Berlin: Weidmann
  5. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  8. ^ a b c d e Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  9. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  10. ^ a b c d Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  11. ^ 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
  12. ^ a b c du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
  13. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com