Etymologically
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tutor

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈtuː.tɔr][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈtuː.tor][1]

Forms

tūtor m (genitive tūtōris, feminine tūtrīx); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin tueor (“to watch, protect”) + -tor, formed on the old past participle tūtus, later replaced by tuitus.[2][1] Georges explains it as contracted from tuitor.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates its first use to Cicero, 81–43 BC.[4][2] Cicero uses it of the legal guardian of a minor and of a protector of religious rites.[2][5]

Semantic evolution

The OLD puts the legal sense first: a person appointed to look after someone unable to manage their own affairs, a boy under puberty or a woman of any age, and a tutor auctor authorised a transaction.[2] Lewis & Short note that the tutor cared for the person, while a curator cared for the estate.[6] In general use it was a protector, as Horace's Silvanus, guardian of boundaries, and Suetonius' guardian of the empire.[2][6]

In medieval Latin it was also a church advocate, an executor of a will and a regent.[7][4] British writers also used it of a tutor or teacher and of a guarantor.[8] English tutor is recorded in the late 14th century as a guardian in law, and as a teacher from the late 14th century too.[9]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of a guardian and a protector.[2][4]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace calls Silvanus tutor finium.[2][6][4]
  • 533 AD – Justinian's Digest sets out the law of guardians.[6][4]
  • late 14th century – Borrowed into English as tutor.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (law) A guardian of a minor, a woman or a person who cannot manage their affairs.[2][6]
  2. A protector, defender.[2][5]
  3. (Medieval Latin) An ecclesiastical advocate; an executor of a will; a regent.[7]
  4. (Medieval Latin) A tutor, teacher; a guarantor.[8]

Word family

  • prōtūtor
  • tūtōrius
  • tueor
  • English tutor
  • English tutelage

Usage notes

There is a homograph tūtor, tūtārī, a deponent verb “to guard, protect”, formed on the same participle with the suffix -tō.[2][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  4. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com