Month: April 2020

ecclesiastic (adj.)

late 15c., from Middle French ecclésiastique and directly from Late Latin ecclesiasticus, from Greek ekklesiastikos “of the (ancient Athenian) assembly,” in late Greek, “of the church,” from ekklesiastes “speaker in an assembly or church, preacher,” from ekkalein “to call out,” from ek “out” (see ex-) + kalein “to call” (from PIE root *kele- (2) “to shout”). As a noun, “one holding an office in the Christian ministry,” 1650s; it also was used as a noun in Late Latin.

donation (n.)

“act of giving or bestowing; that which is gratuitously given, a grant or gift,” mid-15c., donacioun, from Old French donacion (13c.) and directly from Latin donationem (nominative donatio) “a presenting, giving,” noun of action from past-participle stem of donare “give as a gift,” from donum “gift,” from PIE *donum “gift,” from root *do- “to give.”

monarch (n.)

mid-15c., monark, “supreme governor for life, a sole or autocratic ruler of a state,” from Old French monarche (14c., Modern French monarque) and directly from Late Latin monarcha, from Greek monarkhēs “one who rules alone” (see monarchy). “In modern times generally a hereditary sovereign with more or less limited powers” [Century Dictionary, 1897].

As a type of large orange and black North American butterfly by 1885; on one theory it was so called in honor of King William III of England, who also was Prince of Orange, in reference to the butterfly’s color. An older name is milkweed-butterfly (1871). Other old names for it were danais and archippus.

consort (n.1)

early 15c., “partner” (a sense now obsolete), from Old French consort “colleague, partner,” consorte “wife” (14c.), from Latin consortem (nominative consors) “partner, comrade; brother, sister,” in Medieval Latin, “a wife,” noun use of adjective meaning “having the same lot, of the same fortune,” from assimilated form of com “with, together” (see con-) + sors “a share, lot” (from PIE root *ser- (2) “to line up”).

Sense of “husband or wife” (“partner in marriage”) is from 1630s in English. A prince consort (1837) is a prince who is the husband of a queen but himself has no royal authority (the most notable being Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, husband of Queen Victoria; the initial proposal in Parliament in 1840 was to call him king-consort); queen consort is attested from 1667. Related: Consortial.

The husband of a reigning queen has no powers, he is not king unless an act of parliament makes him so. Philip of Spain, Mary’s husband, bore the title of king, Anne’s husband was simply Prince George of Denmark. Queen Victoria’s husband was simply Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha until 1857 when the queen conferred on him the title of Prince Consort. [F.W. Maitland, “The Constitutional History of England, 1908]

accession (n.)

1580s, “that which is added,” also “act of acceding” (by assent, to an agreement, etc.), from Latin accessionem (nominative accessio) “a going to, approach; a joining; increase, enlargement,” noun of action from past-participle stem of accedere “approach, enter upon” (see accede). From 1640s as “act of coming to a position or into possession,” especially in reference to a throne. Related: Accessional.

coronation (n.)

“act or ceremony of investing (a sovereign) with a crown,” c. 1400, coronacioun, from Late Latin coronationem (nominative coronatio) “a crowning,” noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin coronare “to furnish with a crown,” from corona “crown, wreath” (see crown (n.)).

zealous (adj.)

“full of zeal” (in the service of a person or cause), 1520s, from Medieval Latin zelosus “full of zeal” (source of Italian zeloso, Spanish celoso), from zelus (see zeal). The sense “fervent, inspired” was earlier in English in jealous (late 14c.), which is the same word but come up through French. Related: Zealously, zealousness.