Questions tagged [medieval-latin]
Questions regarding the Latin of the Medieval period, approximately 500–1400
199 questions
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About the ancient words for China: Sinae/Σῖναι
The word Sinae (or alternatively Chinae) is not rare in post-Classical Latin texts, and it is the standard word for modern China in New Latin, along with the derivative adjective form Sinicus (e.g. ...
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Should month names take capital letters?
In most modern European languages, months and days are not capitalised, thus there is lunedì and gennaio in Italian.
English is an exception to this, and thus there is "January". In Latin ...
- 380
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Correct diminutive of "rivus" using the suffix -cellus?
Good morning. What diminutive of "rivus" would be correct using the suffix -cellus, the AI Deepseek tells me that "rivicellus" is generally used in medieval manuscripts, but &...
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A vs. circumflex  [duplicate]
In a certain rendition of St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiæ I-II q. 114 a. 1 ad 1, I've seen the circumflex used:
Homo, in quantum propriâ voluntate facit illud quod debet, meretur; alioquin actus ...
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Wording of Aquinas' Henological Argument
In St. Aquinas' Henological Argument (the Argument from Degrees, the fourth of the Quinque Viae), why does Aquinas say "ad aliquid quod maxime est", instead of the much more Latin-spirited &...
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Is “Firmatei” a medieval Latin variation of “firmatae” or "firmata" in the phrase "Consilio Firmatei Dei"?
I came across the Latin phrase “Consilio Firmatei Dei” on the coat of arms granted to Joan of Arc’s family by King Charles VII in 1429. The motto is generally interpreted to mean “Established by God's ...
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Grammar of the incipit of the papal bull "Antiquorum habet fida relatio"
On 22 February 1300, Pope Boniface VIII published the bull Antiquorum habet fida relatio, declaring 1300 the first jubilee year of the Catholic Church, encouraging pilgrimages to Rome and promising a ...
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What is this accussative doing with a passive verb?
In the Pseudo-Ovidian Metamorphosis Flaminis in Gallo, we find this hexameter:
Induitur plūmās simul et vittāta sacerdōs.
And at the same time, the fillet-wearing priestess was wrapped(?) in feathers....
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Can someone translate to me the next phrase?
Super metis etiam provinciae Moldaviae cum provincia Transalpina secundum antiquos terminos et consuetudines per praedecessores Vayvodas possessos et tentos utrumque Vayvodam, tam scilicet Stephanum ...
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Interpretting “Iudice me”
Looking at a medieval text, I have the line
Iudice me cignús et garrula cedat hirundo
Which I’m inclined to translate as “Judge me swan, even the swallow gives up talkative [things]” except that ...
- 517
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Deciphering a Medieval Latin text in blackletter
I found some manuscripts that seem to be Medieval Latin, written in blackletter. I tried to decipher it but there are some complicated glyphs that are hard to read.
What I could read are:
Tam seva(?) ...
- 3,756
5
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DOMA Abbreviation
I am attempting to translate Libavius' Alchymia. My Latin is pretty rusty and it will be a slow going process. The title page has the Hebrew Jehovah (הוה') and four letters DOMA which I am assuming is ...
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Latin equivalent of derogatory Italian "frociaggine"
Pope Francis has recently got into some hot water for using the derogatory Italian word frociaggine "faggotry".
Seeing as the Vatican has Latin as an official language, this raises the ...
- 1,616
9
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One Syllabus Many Syllabontes?
Trask's Historical Linguistics (3rd Edition) makes an off-hand comment that "the Greek word syllabus has a Greek plural syllabontes".
As we know syllabus is actually a spurious word, arising ...
- 1,616
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"Ghost", as in the noun
I would like to know how to say "Ghost" properly, as in I am a ghost. All I have been able to find is "Mares";"Marium";"Spectare"...etc. I would prefer if ...
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