Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources
The Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources (DMLBS), published from 1975 to 2013, is considered the most comprehensive dictionary of Medieval Latin with a focus on British Medieval Latin. It covers a long period from Gildas (fl. 540) to William Camden (1600) and is based on original research through close reading of Medieval Latin texts, as well as systematic searches within computer databases such as the Library of Latin Texts, which contribute to the sources for the DMLBS. The digitized version of the DMLBS on the Brepolis platform allows for advanced search capabilities. This online launch is a result of collaboration between the British Academy and Brepols Publishers.
What Users will Find
Extensive Coverage
Covering over a millennium of British Medieval Latin, our dictionary is the most comprehensive resource for understanding the language.
Original Research
Based on meticulous original research, our dictionary captures the distinctive lexical characteristics of British Medieval Latin.
Advanced Search
Our advanced search functionality allows you to explore medieval Latin texts by headwords, word forms, references, and full text.
Reasons to subscribe
Coverage
British sources
The “British sources” as defined here are mainly Latin texts written in Great Britain either by British authors or by authors who lived in Britain (among them Anselm of Aosta or of Canterbury and Lanfranc).
However, the DMLBS also includes British authors such as Alcuin or Wynfrith (alias Boniface), who have written abroad, as well as texts coming from territories under the administration of the English crown (such as Ireland, the Channel Islands, Normandy), and finally, letters and other documents in Latin sent to British authors and conserved among their writings
Latin in Britain
Although in itself a foreign language in Britain, Latin has known in this country, mainly as a written language, a remarkable vitality in the Middle Ages. So we know the names of more than 2,000 authors writing in British medieval Latin, more than 500 of whom are regularly cited as sources in the DMLBS, without counting the many texts by anonymous authors, as well as private and public records.
Vocabulary
Like other dictionaries of “regional” medieval Latin, the DMLBS focuses primarily on the characteristics of the Latin of the reference context, be it new meanings of existing words or new words, which are not found elsewhere.
These new words can have a completely Latin formation, such as we see in the verb semidormitare found in the De excidio Britanniae of Gildas, or they can be derived from a variety of languages, including Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman, Middle English, Norman, Old French, Arabic (with the discovery of philosophical and scientific texts), Old Norse, a series of Celtic and Germanic languages, as well as Greek, which remained an important influence.
Key Features
- The complete printed version (©Oxford University Press) available online alone or as part of the Database of Latin Dictionaries
- Multilingual interface (English, French, German and Italian)
- Search by Latin dictionary headwords, Latin words, non-Latin words, textual references and full text
- Ability to use Wildcards and Operator
- The list of common abbreviations as well as the bibliographical information have been included in the online version
More About
Clusters & Related Databases
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The DMLBS is included in the Database of Latin Dictionaries together with 25 other Latin dictionaries.
The Database of Latin Dictionaries is included in the cluster BREPOLiS Latin Complete, together with the full-text databases Library of Latin Texts, Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Archive of Celtic-Latin Literature, Aristoteles Latinus Database, and the Cross Database Search Tool.
The Database of Latin Dictionaries is also included in the cluster Library of Latin Texts Complete Plus, together with the Library of Latin Texts.
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Copyright
© Functional design and adaptation by CTLO and Brepols Publishers, Turnhout, 2015
© Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, the British Academy, Brepols Publishers, 2015
© Lucene – search technology by Apache Foundation (http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0)
© Publication rights by Brepols Publishers, Turnhout, 2015
Cover image: Quest for the Holy Grail Tapestries – Panel 3 – The Failure of Sir Gawaine, 1895-96, William Morris&John Henry Dearle, Birmingham Museums