sonium

Forms

sonium n (genitive soniī or sonī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

Its origin is uncertain.^[1][2] Wiktionary takes it as borrowed from Frankish *sunnju (“responsibility, care”),^[1] while Köbler leaves the origin of the Late Latin word “care” unexplained.^[2] The medieval legal word for a lawful excuse, which Köbler lists under ⟨sonnium⟩, ⟨sonnis⟩ and ⟨sonnia⟩, with ⟨sonium⟩ among its forms, he traces to Proto-Germanic *sunjō (“truth, excuse”);^[2] Niermeyer marks that word as Germanic,^[3] and Wiktionary counts ⟨sunnis⟩ and ⟨sunnia⟩ among the forms of this one.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source for it is the Itala, the Old Latin Bible, after 220 AD, where it means care or worry.^[2] The Latin glossaries render it by Greek μέριμνα (mérimna), and they also gloss the spelling ⟨somnium⟩ with φροντίς (phrontís).^[4]

Semantic evolution

In the Frankish laws the forms ⟨sunnis⟩ and ⟨somnis⟩ meant a lawful impediment that excused a man from appearing in court: the Lex Salica fines a man summoned to court under the king's laws “if no sunnis detains him”.^[5][2] Old glosses render it as hindrance or impediment.^[5] Niermeyer gives the senses lawful excuse for non-attendance, a valid reason for not answering a summons or keeping an appointment, and, comparing French soin, the service of providing food.^[3] English legal records have sonium beside essonium for an essoin: a court roll of 1211 has a man warrant his sonium.^[6]

Through Old French soing it is the source of French soin, “care”.^[1]

Timeline

• after 220 AD – The Itala uses it of care or worry.^[2]
• 507–511? – The Pactus legis Salicae has the legal form ⟨sunnis⟩.^[2]
• 1211 – An English court roll uses sonium of an essoin.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Late Latin) Care, attention, worry.^[1][2][4]
2. (Medieval Latin, law) A lawful excuse for not appearing in court, an essoin.^[2][3][6]

Related words

• English essoin

Usage notes

Köbler records a separate medieval sonium, a fishing place, of unknown origin, from a source of 1350.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
3. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
4. ^ a b Goetz, Georg (1888–1923), Corpus glossariorum Latinorum, Leipzig: Teubner; vols. VI–VII Thesaurus glossarum emendatarum, digital ed. CGLO, Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
6. ^ 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