Etymologically
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zelus

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈzeː.ɫʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈd͡zɛː.lus][1]

Forms

zēlus m (genitive zēlī); second declension[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ζῆλος (zêlos, “zeal, rivalry”), which Köbler, after Frisk, takes as probably related to ζητέω (zētéō, “to seek”).[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's and Lewis and Short's earliest citation is from Vitruvius, of jealousy.[2][4] Köbler dates Vitruvius c. 84–c. 25 BC.[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant a spirit of rivalry or emulation, jealousy, as in Vitruvius, and later zeal, ardour, as in Prudentius, Ausonius, Jerome and the Vulgate.[2][4][5]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant zeal, jealousy, emulation.[6] Medieval Latin used it for hatred, envy, jealousy.[7] It survives in Italian zelo, French zèle and Spanish celo, and English zeal came in the late 14th century from Late Latin zelus.[1][8] Medieval Latin zelōsus gave English zealous, and Old French jalos from it gave English jealous about 1200.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 84–c. 25 BC – Vitruvius uses it of jealousy.[2][3]
  • c. 383–419/420 AD – Jerome uses it of zeal.[5][3]
  • c. 1200 – English jealous is recorded.[8]
  • late 14th century – English zeal is recorded.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Rivalry, emulation; jealousy.[2]
  2. (Late Latin) Zeal, ardour.[4][5]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Hatred, envy.[7]

Word family

  • zēlivira
  • zēlanter
  • zēlātor
  • zēlō
  • zēlōsus
  • zēlōtes
  • zēlotypa
  • zēlotypia
  • zēlotypus
  • English zeal
  • English zealous
  • English jealous

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c 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 c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com