testimonialis

Forms

testimōniālis (neuter testimōniāle); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Latin testimōnium + -ālis, an adjective on the noun for testimony.^[1][2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tertullian is the first to use it, of a comparison that serves as evidence (comparatio testimonialis).^[1][2][4][5]

Semantic evolution

Late Latin used the feminine plural testimoniales (with litterae understood) for written certificates: Vegetius and the Theodosian Code have it.^[1][2][4] In medieval Latin the adjective meant “bearing witness”, and as a masculine noun it named a witness;^[6] British documents use the neuter as a noun for a written attestation, a testimonial.^[7] Humanists kept it: Filelfo heads a letter testimonialis familiaris epistola.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian speaks of a comparison serving as evidence.^[1][2][5]
• c. 400 AD – Vegetius uses testimoniales for certificates.^[1][4][5]
• 438 AD – The Theodosian Code has testimoniales in the same sense.^[1][3][5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Serving as evidence; bearing witness.^[1][2][6][9]

Noun

1. (Late Latin, feminine plural) testimoniales (litterae): a written certificate.^[1][2][3]
2. (Medieval Latin, masculine) A witness.^[6]
3. (Medieval Latin, neuter) A written attestation, a testimonial.^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
3. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
4. ^ a b c Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c 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. ^ Ramminger, Johann, Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, www.neulatein.de
9. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson