amanuensis
English
Etymology
From Latin āmanuēnsis (“secretary”), from ab- (“from, off (of)”) + manus (“hand”) + -ensis (“of or from (a place)”), early 17th c.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /əˌmænjuˈɛnsɪs/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - enPR: ə-măn'yo͞o-ĕnʹsĭs
- Hyphenation: a‧man‧u‧en‧sis
Noun
amanuensis (plural amanuenses)
- One employed to take dictation, or copy manuscripts.
- 1842, [anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizabeth Landon], “(please specify the page)”, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, pages 296-297:
- As pay was Lady Anne's object, and poor Georgiana was intended to be the amanuensis, should she be found capable of forming sentences out of disjointed hints, and of wrapping foul facts in clean composition.
- A clerk, secretary or stenographer, or scribe.
- 1827, John Colin Dunlop, History of Roman Literature from its Earliest Period to the Augustan Age[1], volume II:
- In consequence of this fashion of authors dictating their works, expedition came to be considered of the utmost importance; it was regarded as the chief accomplishment of an amanuensis; and he alone was considered as perfect in his art, whose pen could equal the rapidity of utterance: […]
- 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, page 12:
- “ […] We are engaged in a great work, a treatise on our river fortifications, perhaps? But since when did army officers afford the luxury of amanuenses in this simple republic? […]”
- 1974, John Gardner, “The Warden”, in The King's Indian:
- I, his mere amanuensis, am left to do what little I can to keep the institution functioning.
Translations
one employed to take dictation
a clerk, secretary or stenographer
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
References
- Gamble, Harry Y. “Amanuensis.” Anchor Bible Dictionary. Vol. 1. Ed. David Noel Freedman. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
- Longenecker, Richard N. “Ancient Amanuenses and the Pauline Epistles.” New Dimensions in New Testament Study. Eds. Richard N. Longenecker and Merrill C. Tenney. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974. 281-97. idem, “On the Form, Function, and Authority of the New Testament Letters.” Scripture and Truth. Eds. D.A. Carson and John D. Woodbridge. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1983. 101-14.
Further reading
amanuensis on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- “amanuensis”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “amanuensis”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Danish
Etymology
From Latin āmanuēnsis (“secretary”), from ab- (“from, off (of)”) + manus (“hand”) + -ensis (“of or from (a place)”).
Pronunciation
Noun
amanuensis c (singular definite amanuensen or amanuensissen, plural indefinite amanuenser)
- A teacher at an institute of higher education with a time-limited position (usually three years).
- An assistent with a scientific education, e.g. to a doctor in private practice.
Inflection
Declension of amanuensis
common gender |
Singular | Plural | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
nominative | amanuensis | amanuensen | amanuenser | amanuenserne |
genitive | amanuensis' | amanuensens | amanuensers | amanuensernes |
References
Latin
Etymology
From ab- + manus (“hand”) + -ēnsis.
Pronunciation
- (Classical Latin) IPA(key): /aː.ma.nuˈen.sis/, [äːmänuˈẽːs̠ɪs̠]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /a.ma.nuˈen.sis/, [ämänuˈɛnsis]
Noun
āmanuēnsis m (genitive āmanuēnsis); third declension
Usage notes
Originally used for a slave at his master's personal service 'within hand reach', performing any command. Later, it was specifically applied to intimately trusted servants (also many freedmen) acting as a personal secretary.
Declension
Third-declension noun (i-stem).
Case | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
Nominative | āmanuēnsis | āmanuēnsēs |
Genitive | āmanuēnsis | āmanuēnsium |
Dative | āmanuēnsī | āmanuēnsibus |
Accusative | āmanuēnsem | āmanuēnsēs āmanuēnsīs |
Ablative | āmanuēnse | āmanuēnsibus |
Vocative | āmanuēnsis | āmanuēnsēs |
Descendants
- Catalan: amanuense
- English: amanuensis
- Italian: amanuense
- Portuguese: amanuense
- Spanish: amanuense
References
- “amanuensis”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “amanuensis”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
- “amanuensis”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin
Categories:
- English terms borrowed from Latin
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 5-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English nouns with irregular plurals
- English terms with quotations
- en:Occupations
- en:People
- English terms derived from the Latin word manus
- Danish terms derived from Latin
- Danish terms prefixed with ab-
- Danish terms suffixed with -ensis
- Danish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Danish lemmas
- Danish nouns
- Danish common-gender nouns
- Latin terms prefixed with ab-
- Latin terms suffixed with -ensis
- Latin 5-syllable words
- Latin terms with IPA pronunciation
- Latin lemmas
- Latin nouns
- Latin third declension nouns
- Latin masculine nouns in the third declension
- Latin masculine nouns