petalum

From New Latin petalum, from Ancient Greek πέταλον (pétalon), from πέταλος (pétalos, “broad, flat”), from Proto-Hellenic *pétalos, from Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- (“to spread out”). Doublet of petal.

petalum (plural petala)

1. (botany, obsolete) A petal.

• “petalum”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Borrowed from Latin petalum, from Ancient Greek πέτᾰλον (pétălon).

• IPA^(key): /ˌpeːˈtaː.lʏm/
• Hyphenation: pe‧ta‧lum
• Rhymes: -aːlʏm

petalum n (plural petala, no diminutive)

1. (botany, dated) a petal

   Synonyms: kroonblad, petaal

• petala, petalia, petalium (Medieval Latin)

From Ancient Greek πέτᾰλον (pétălon, “leaf”). Unrelated to Petalicus, petallia, or Petalus.

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈpɛ.ta.ɫũː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈpɛː.ta.lum]

petalum n (genitive petalī); second declension

1. (Late Latin) metal (usually gold) leaf or plate (a thin sheet of, usually precious, metal)
   • c. 639 CE – 709 CE, Aldhelmus Meldunensis, De virginitate 205–208:^[1]

     Non ergo argenti squalescit spreta libella,
     Uncia bis senis quam pensat lancibus aequa,
     Quamvis auratis praecellat fibula bullis
     Amplius aut certe flavescant petala fulva; […]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • c. 639 CE – 709 CE, Aldhelmus Meldunensis, De virginitate 1338–1342:^[2]

     Neptunus, fama dictus regnator aquarum,
     Qui regit imperium ponti turgentibus undis,
     Falsas effigies, quas glauco marmore sculpunt
     Aurea seu fulva quas ornant petala fronde,
     Non valuit veterum tunc sustentare deorum.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • c. 810 CE – c. 879 CE, Anastasius Bibliothecarius, Historia, de vitis Romanorum pontificum 87, (re Sergii I):

     Eoque ablato inferius Crucem diuerſis, ac precioſis lapidibus perornatam inſpexit, de qua tractis quatuor petalis, in quibus gemmæ clauſæ erant miræ magnitudinis, & ineffabilem portionem ſalutaris ligni Dominicæ Crucis inuenit.

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   • 1087, Victor III, apud Acta Sanctorum Ordinis S. Benedicti in saeculorum classes distributa 6.2.603:^[3]

     Nam reliquorum trium altarium facies veteribus tabulis à tribus partibus adornatæ ſunt, quatuor etiam trabes propter ciburium altaris ſimili modo ſculpto, ac deaurato argento extrinſecus induit; ab intus vero petalis & coloribus decoravit, e quibus duæ habent cubitos in longitudine ſex libras viginti, & viginti, duæ vero aliæ cubitos quatuor ac ſemis, libras viginti & viginti: ſex etiam candelabra magna tres cubitos altitudinis habentia de productis ac ſculptis argento laminis fecit, ana ſex vel quinque librarum, quæ videlicet in feſtis præcipuis ante altare in directa linea poſita accendi cum maximis faculis debeant.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   1. (Judaism, specifically) tzitz (a golden frontlet inscribed with the Tetragrammaton, as worn by the High Priest of Israel)
      • c. 600 CE – 625 CE, Isidorus Hispalensis, Etymologiae 19.21.7:

        Petalum aurea lammina in fronte pontificis, quae nomen Dei tetragrammaton Hebraicis litteris habebat scriptum.

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

      • c. 729 CE, Beda Presbyter, De tabernaculo 484:^[4]

        Facies et feminalia linea, etc. Ad utrosque simul, et Aaron scilicet et filios ejus, sicut etiam ipsa verba manifeste probant, pertinet; sicque fit ut Aaron ipse cunctis quæ commemorantur octo vestibus induatur, feminalibus videlicet lineis, tunica linea, hyacinthina superhumerali, rationali, balteo, tiara, petalo aureo.

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

      • c. 1100 – 1156, Arnoldus Bonaevallis, Tractatus de septem verbis Domini in cruce 1723B:

        At vero summi tiara pontificis excellentior erat, et, præter hæc laminam auream, quam petalum vocant, fronti habebat insertam; in qua nomen Dei, quod apud Hebræos ineffabile dicitur, scriptum erat.

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

      • 1286, Johannes Genuensis, Catholicon seu universale vocabularium ac summa grammatices 550–551, (s.v. “Petalum”):

        Petalum.a peto tis.ḋꝛ hoc petalũ li. i. foꝛma marmoꝛea inſtar teſſere quadrata. vnde pauimenta temploꝝ vel domoꝝ ⁊ palatioꝝ quondã ſternebãtur. Joſephꝰ in .viij. Strauit, aũt pauimẽtũ tẽpli petalis aureis. Iteꝫ petalũ eſt lamina aurea in fronte vel in pectoꝛe pontificis: que illud nomen dei ineffabile tetragrãmaton q̃ttuoꝛ litteris hebꝛaice habebat ſcriptũ. Item a peto tis.ḋꝛ hic petalꝰ li. equus q̇ habet pedes albos.

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   2. (Medieval Latin, Christianity) crozier (an episcopal or abbatial insigne resembling a shepherd’s crook)
      • 990 CE, Herigerus Lobiensis, Historia miraculorum S. Ursmari 566E:

        Frater Robertus, noſtro tempore eccleſiæ S. Urſmari ædituus, baculum recurvum (quem plerique cambuttam, alii petalum vocant) quaſi à S. Urſmaro geſtatum & ſic proprium, argento fabricavit; petiitque à nobis, ut aliquantulum de corpore ipſius, ad majorem populi venerationem, baculo illi inſereremus.

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. (Medieval Latin) husk (the inedible outer coat that surrounds the kernel of a cereal grain)
   • c. 1240, Gilbertus Anglicus, Compendium medicinae I.66v.2:^[5]

     Et dicunt᷑ petaloydes a petalũ petali. ꝙ ē coꝛtex tritici ⁊ idos foꝛma coꝛticis tritici excoꝛticati.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 14th century, Sinonoma Bartholomei 33:^[6]

     ⸿ Petala, cortices tritici.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • c. 1315, Alphita 139.31:^[7]

     Petalia, i. cortices tritici.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • c. 1315, Alphita 141.37:^[8]

     Petalie, i. cortex frumenti.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

3. (Medieval Latin) tessera (a marble tile forming part of a mosaic)
   • 1150 – 1175, Osbernus Glocestriensis, Liber Derivationum 419–420, (s.v. “Peto”):

     Item a peto hoc petalum, li ·i· forma marmorea ad instar tesserae quadrata, unde pavimenta templorum et palaciorum quondam sternebantur; unde Iosephus in octavo: stravit autem pavimentum templi petalis aureis; et hoc petaurum, ri ·i· quidam ludus; unde Iuvenalis: an magni oblectant animum iactata petauro.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1286, Johannes Genuensis, Catholicon seu universale vocabularium ac summa grammatices 550, (s.v. “Petalum”):

     Petalum.a peto tis.ḋꝛ hoc petalũ li. i. foꝛma marmoꝛea inſtar teſſere quadrata. vnde pauimenta temploꝝ vel domoꝝ ⁊ palatioꝝ quondã ſternebãtur. Joſephꝰ in .viij. Strauit, aũt pauimẽtũ tẽpli petalis aureis. Iteꝫ petalũ eſt lamina aurea in fronte vel in pectoꝛe pontificis: que illud nomen dei ineffabile tetragrãmaton q̃ttuoꝛ litteris hebꝛaice habebat ſcriptũ. Item a peto tis.ḋꝛ hic petalꝰ li. equus q̇ habet pedes albos.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   1. (Medieval Latin) paving stone (a flat stone forming part of a floor)

      Synonym: lausa

      • 1440, Galfridus Grammaticus, Promptorium parvulorum sive clericorum dictionarius Anglo-Latinus Princeps 329:^[9]

        Pauyngston, or pathyng ston: Petalum, -i; neut., 2 decl., ‘catholicon.’

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

4. (New Latin, botany) petal (a leaflike structure forming part of a flower’s corolla)
   • 1628, Fabius Columna Lynceus, In Rerum Medicarum Nouæ Hiſpaniæ Nardi Antonij Recchi Montecoruinatis Medici Regij Volumen. Annotationes et Additiones (pages 841–899), in Rerum Medicarum nouæ Hiſpaniæ Theſaurus, ſeu Plantarum, Animalium, Mineralium Mexicanorum Hiſtoria, Roma: Vitalis Mascardus, published 1651, Pa[g]. 11. Cap. eod. [scil. 7.] lin. 18., page 853:

     [Q]uia verbum φύλλα pro frondibus plantarum propriè acceptum putamus, quæ etiam latinè folia dicuntur, nos floris foliola, ad differentiam foliorum, plantæ frondium ſcilicet, ϖέταλα dici magis propriè cenſuimus: ſic enim Dioſcorides Roſæ florum foliola denominauit in cap. de Vnguent. roſac. & etiam Iſopyri florum folia, ad differentiam frondium plantæ, quas verbo φύλλα diſtinxit. Sic etiam Alcman Poëta Chryſanthemi florum folia vmbonem coronantia denominauit his verbis,
         Χρύσεον ὄρμον ἔχον, ῥαδινὰν ϖετάλοισι ϰάχλαν.
         Aureum torquen habens, teneram petalis Cachlam.

     [Quia verbum φύλλα pro frondibus plantarum propriè acceptum putamus, quae etiam Latinè folia dicuntur, nos floris foliola, ad differentiam foliorum, plantae frondium scilicet, πέταλα dici magis propriè censuimus: sic enim Dioscorides rosae florum foliola denominavit in capite de unguento rosaceo et etiam isopyri florum folia, ad differentiam frondium plantae, quas verbo φύλλα distinxit. Sic etiam Alcman poëta chrysanthemi florum folia umbonem coronantia denominavit his verbis,
      Χρύσεον ὅρμον ἔχον, ῥαδινὰν πετάλοισι κάχλαν.
      Aureum torquem habens, teneram petalis cachlam.]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

     Columna cites herein Dioscorides, Materia medica (1.43.1 and 4.120.1) and Alcman, Fragmenta (39.52).

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:petalum.

Second-declension noun (neuter).

• → Dutch: petalum
• → English: petalum

• petalum on the Latin Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^la
• “pĕtălum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• R. E. Latham, D. R. Howlett, & R. K. Ashdowne, editors (1975–2013), “petalum”, in Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources‎^[10], London: Oxford University Press for the British Academy, →ISBN, →OCLC
• “pĕtălum”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette, page 1167.
• "PETALUM", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)