textus

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈtɛk.stʊs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈtɛk.stus]^[1]

Forms

textus m (genitive textūs); fourth declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from texō “to weave” with the suffix of action nouns -tus.^[2][1][3] ⟨Texō⟩ is from Proto-Indo-European *teḱ- (“to fashion, make”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Lucretius, whom he dates 96–55 BC, and Lewis and Short cite Lucretius' haec sunt tenuia textū “these are fine in texture”.^[4][3]

Semantic evolution

Lewis and Short call it poetic and post-Augustan.^[3] It meant the pattern or style of weaving, a woven fabric, plaited work, as in Pliny, and a structure, the way parts fit together, in Epicurean philosophy the conformation of atoms.^[2] In Quintilian it was used of the fabric of words, the body of a passage.^[2][5]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant context, text.^[6] Medieval Latin used it of the text or wording of a speech or writing, a charter, and a Gospel book.^[7] Medieval Latin textus “the Scriptures” passed through Old French texte into English text in the late 14th century.^[8]

Timeline

• 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of texture.^[3][4]
• 23/24–79 AD – Pliny uses it of weaving and structure.^[2][4]
• c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses it of a passage of words.^[2][4]
• late 14th century – English text is recorded.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. A style of weaving; a woven fabric; plaited work.^[2]
2. Structure, texture.^[2]
3. The body of a passage, text.^[2]
4. (Medieval Latin) A charter; a Gospel book.^[7]

Related words

• texō
• textilis
• textor
• textōrius
• textrīnus
• textrīx
• textum
• textūra
• English text
• English texture

Usage notes

Textus, -a, -um is also the perfect participle of texō, “woven”.^[3][5]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com