Etymologically
Log in

sectator

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 20 October 2026 at 11:05. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [sɛkˈtaː.tɔr][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [sekˈtaː.tor][1]

Forms

sectātor m (genitive sectātōris, feminine sectātrīx); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin sector2 (“to follow eagerly”) + -tor, an agent noun.[2][3] De Vaan explains sector as a verb made from ⟨*sekto-⟩, the original past participle of sequor (“to follow”), which goes back to Proto-Italic *sekʷ-e/o- and Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ-e/o- (“to follow, accompany”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and the OLD record it first in Lucilius,[4][2] of a person who escorts a patron.[2]

Semantic evolution

In Cicero it is a member of the crowd that went about with a candidate for office, and he mentions the Lex Fabia limiting the number of such followers.[5] Tacitus uses it of a man's retinue, contrasting the follower at home with the companion in public.[5] After Augustus it also meant the adherent of a teacher or school: Suetonius says of a grammarian that he had not so much pupils as followers, and Aulus Gellius speaks of the followers of Aristotle.[2][5] Fronto uses it of a devotee of the liberal arts.[2] In the Vulgate it is someone eager for something, sectatorem bonorum operum, “zealous for good works”.[5] In Ecclesiastical Latin it can also mean a pursuer or a member of a sect.[6] British Medieval Latin uses it of a follower of hounds, a huntsman, and of the adherent of a teacher or a way of life.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius, “escort, attendant”.[2][3]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero, of a candidate's followers.[5][3]
  • c. 75–c. 150 AD – Suetonius, “follower of a teacher”.[2][3]
  • 100–170 AD – Fronto, “devotee”.[2][3]
  • 390–406 AD – The Vulgate, “one zealous for good works”.[5][3]
  • c. 799 AD – Alcuin, of followers of teachings.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A person who escorts or attends a patron or candidate, a follower; plural, a retinue, train.[2][5]
  2. An adherent or disciple of a teacher or school.[2][5]
  3. A person who seeks after something, a devotee.[2][5]
  4. (Ecclesiastical Latin) A pursuer; a member of a sect.[6]
  5. (Medieval Latin) A follower of hounds, a huntsman.[7]

Usage notes

Lewis & Short give assectātor as a synonym; the feminine is sectātrīx.[5][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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 de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ 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