scutarius

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [skuːˈtaː.ri.ʊs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [skuˈtaː.ri.us]^[1]

Forms

scūtārius m (genitive scūtāriī or scūtārī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin scūtum (“shield”) + -ārius.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus, in the Epidicus, mentions a shield-maker.^[4][5] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Its classical sense was a shield-maker, and as an adjective of shields, as Vegetius' shield factories, fabricae scūtāriae.^[2][4] Under the later emperors the scūtāriī were a corps of the imperial guard armed with shields, as in Ammianus Marcellinus.^[4][5]

In medieval Latin it was a shield-bearer or squire, with forms such as escutarius and escuderius.^[6][3] In England it was also a shield-maker, sometimes passing into a surname, as Ernald the shield-maker in a Pipe Roll of 1166.^[7] Through Old French escuier “shield-bearer” it gave English esquire, recorded in the late 14th century, and English squire.^[8][1] Spanish escudero and Portuguese escudeiro continue it too.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus mentions a shield-maker.^[4][3]
• c. 390 AD – Ammianus Marcellinus mentions the guard of scūtāriī.^[5][3]
• c. 400 AD – Vegetius speaks of shield factories.^[4][3]
• 1166 – An English Pipe Roll names a shield-maker.^[7]
• late 14th century – English esquire is recorded.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. A shield-maker.^[2][1]
2. (Late Latin) A guardsman armed with a shield.^[4][1]
3. (Medieval Latin) A shield-bearer, squire.^[6][8]

Adjective

1. (Late Latin) Of shields.^[4][1]

Related words

• scūtum
• English esquire

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
7. ^ a b 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
8. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com