The Reichenau Glossary is a collection of

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

glosses likely compiled in the 8th century in northern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

to assist local clergy in understanding certain words or expressions found in the Vulgate Bible. They constitute an important document in Romance linguistics, particularly Gallo-Romance.

Background

Over the centuries

Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. He is best known ...

’s translation of the Bible () became more difficult to read for novice clergy as a result of the various grammatical, lexical, and phonological changes that Latin was experiencing in the course of its evolution into Romance. To facilitate interpretation, scribes would put together glossaries or collected explanations of words or phrases found in the Vulgate. The words used as glosses tended to be those that were destined to survive in Romance, whilst the words that needed glossing generally were not. What we now know as the Reichenau Glossary was compiled circa the eighth century at the Abbey of Corbie in Picardy. From there it eventually found its way to the Abbey of Reichenau, in southern Germany, where it was found in 1863 by the philologist Adolf Hotzmann.Quiros 1986: 43

Selected entries

Notes

References

Sources

; General * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{cite book , last=Williams , first=Edwin Bucher , year=1962 , title=From Latin to Portuguese , location=Philadelphia , publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press ; Online etymological dictionaries *''Dexonline'' (https://dexonline.ro/) *''Online Etymology Dictionary'' (http://etymonline.com/) *''Trésor de la langue Française informatisé'' (http://www.atilf.fr/tlfi) *''Treccani'' (https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/)

External links