totalitas

Forms

tōtālitās f (genitive tōtālitātis); third declension^[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Latin tōtālis + -tās, a noun of state from the Medieval Latin adjective “total, entire”.^[3] tōtālis is from tōtus (“the whole of, all”),^[1] an adjective for which de Vaan finds no convincing etymology.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The DMLBS's earliest dated quotation is from a letter of Robert Grosseteste of about 1240, where it means the whole of something, as opposed to one of its parts.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It was a word of scholastic philosophy: the state of being whole or complete, and that which is complete, a whole,^[3] as when Bacon says that “always” expresses the totality of time and “hour” a part of it.^[3] Thomas Aquinas uses it for wholeness and distinguishes an absolute totality from a relative one.^[5] A charter of 1278 uses it of abundance, the generous provision of a meal for a convent.^[6] Stelten gives “totality, completeness”.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1240 – Robert Grosseteste uses it of a whole as against its part.^[3]
• 1259–1265 – Thomas Aquinas uses it in the Summa contra Gentiles.^[5]
• 1278 – A charter of Abbot Girard uses it for abundance.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Medieval Latin) Wholeness, completeness.^[3][2][5]
2. (Medieval Latin) A whole, the totality of something.^[3]
3. (Medieval Latin) abundance.^[6]

Related words

• tōtālis
• tōtus
• English totality

References

1. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
2. ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
3. ^ a b c d e f g 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
4. ^ 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 Schütz, Ludwig (1895), Thomas-Lexikon, 2nd ed., Paderborn: F. Schöningh
6. ^ a b c du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre