Etymologically
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tallia

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Forms

tallia f; variants talia, tallea, talea, talgia, taillia[1]

Etymology

It is from Medieval Latin taleō according to Niermeyer, who compares Latin talea (“rod, stake, cutting”).[1] Köbler and Etymonline derive it from that noun directly, Köbler with a question mark,[2][3] and the DMLBS files it under the same head, comparing Middle English talie and Anglo-Norman taille.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first record is from 1251, after Latham's dictionary, for the retail trade, the cutting of cloth for sale.[2]

Semantic evolution

It named a pruned tree or a coppice, and the stretch of meadow mown in one day.[1][5] It named the notched stick used in reckoning (the tally).[5][3] It also came to mean the seigneurial levy, the tallage (French taille), and a municipal tax.[1][5] Du Cange also records it for the share-out of gold or silver among moneyers and for the territory of a town.[5]

English tally (mid-15th century) comes, through Anglo-French tallie, from Medieval Latin tallia.[3]

Timeline

  • 1251 – Recorded for the cutting and retail of cloth.[2]
  • 1279 – The liberties of Saint-Palais use it for a coppice.[5]
  • c. 1370 – Knighton uses it for an entailed estate.[2]
  • mid-15th century – English borrows it as tally.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (Medieval Latin) A pruned tree; a coppice.[1][5]
  2. (Medieval Latin) A day's work at mowing, as much meadow as is mown in a day.[1][5]
  3. (Medieval Latin) A tally stick.[5][3]
  4. (Medieval Latin) A seigneurial levy, tallage.[1][5]
  5. (Medieval Latin) A municipal tax.[1]
  6. (Medieval Latin) The cutting of cloth for sale, retail.[2][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  2. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ 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 c d e f g h i j du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre