Thursday, June 13, 2013

Vocitated

Meaning: named or called.

Usefulness: 2 (It strikes me as a satisfyingly annoying way to ask someone's name "And what are you vocitated, old chap?" or introduce yourself: "I am occasionally vocitated as The Antipodean.")

Logofascination: 1 (The English version was invented by Sir Thomas, who is the sole citation in the OED.)

In the wild: Occasionally; someone's already taken it as a Twitter handle, worse luck.

Degrees: 0 (Rabelais had vociter, but Sir Thomas has Anglicised it, while retaining the required Latinate influence.)

Connections: n/a

Which is used in: G&P, Pantagruel, VI: How Pantagruel met with a Limousin, who too affectedly did counterfeit the French language. Welcome to our new Thursday chapter: since we've done all the -mancys, I am going to have a crack at the Latin, French, English and Scottish dialect that turns up in this chapter.
Upon a certain day, I know not when, Pantagruel walking after supper with some of his fellow-students without that gate of the city through which we enter on the road to Paris, encountered with a young spruce-like scholar that was coming upon the same very way, and, after they had saluted one another, asked him thus, My friend, from whence comest thou now?
The scholar answered him, From the alme*, inclyte**, and celebrate academy, which is vocitated Lutetia.
Lutetia is the Latin name for the Gaulish town that occupied the site where Paris now stands - the scholar is showing off his learning as well as his Latin.


* Latinate French - Cotgrave:  "Faire, beautifull, cleere; calme; gracious, propitious; nourishing." Related to the alma in alma mater.
** Fancy French again; from the Latin inclitus - Cotgrave: "Excellent, renowmed, famous, glorious."

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