formaticum

Latin

Alternative forms

fōrmāticus, firmāticus, fōrmātis, fōrmādeus, fōrmārius, fōrmāsius, fōrmādium
fōrmāgium (borrowed back through Romance, especially French)

Etymology

By surface analysis, fōrma (“mould”) +‎ -āticum (noun-forming suffix). Has also been suggested to derive from an ellipsis of *[cāseus fōrmāticus] "mould-cheese", although fōrmāticus is not attested as an adjective. Attested in the eighth-century Reichenau Glossary and the Capitulary of Charlemagne (802 CE).^[1]

further information

Displaced the Classical Latin synonym cāseus in Gallo-Romance, though apparently at a relatively late date, considering that the latter has left various reflexes^[2] such as the French casier (“cheese-basket”). On the other hand, the early Breton borrowing fourondec shows that fōrmāticum arose prior to the syncope of the penultimate vowel in Gallo-Romance, a change which would have occurred at some point during the eighth or ninth century CE.^[3]

Compare the single occurrence of fōrmulae in the sense of "cheese-moulds" in Late Latin^[4] and the several occurrences of its diminutive fōrmella.^[5]

Noun

fōrmāticum n (genitive fōrmāticī); second declension (Early Medieval Latin)

cheese
Synonym: cāseus (Classical)

Inflection

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	formāticum	formātica
Genitive	formāticī	formāticōrum
Dative	formāticō	formāticīs
Accusative	formāticum	formātica
Ablative	formāticō	formāticīs
Vocative	formāticum	formātica

Descendants

Padanian: (competing with Gallo-Romance borrowings)
- Friulian: formadi
- Old Emilian: formadego^[6] (Bologna)
- >? Old Piedmontese: *formai
  - → Lombard: formai, furmai
    - → Emilian: furmàj, furmâj
    - → Ladin: formai
    - → Romagnol: furmàj, furmâj
    - → Venetan: formai, formajo
      - → Istriot: furmajo
Gallo-Romance:
- Catalan: formatge
- Franco-Provençal: fromâjo
- Old French: fromage (see there for further descendants)
- Old Occitan: formatge, fromatge
  - Occitan: formatge, fromatge
Borrowings:
- → Old Breton: [Term?]
  - Middle Breton: fourondec, foulondec

References

^ Blaise, Albert (1975) “formaticum (-ticus, forma, formagium)”, in Dictionnaire latin-français des auteurs du moyen-âge: lexicon latinitatis medii aevi (Corpus christianorum) (overall work in Latin and French), Turnhout: Brepols, page 396.
^ Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “formaticum”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volumes 3: D–F, page 719
^ Pope, Mildred K. 1934. From Latin to French. Manchester University Press. §165.1.
^ Palladius, Opus Agriculturae 6.9.2
^ formella in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
^ Sorbello, Albano. 1906–7. L'Archiginnasio. Bollettino della Biblioteca comunale di Bologna. Vol. I–II. 178.

[1] Blaise, Albert (1975) “formaticum (-ticus, forma, formagium)”, in Dictionnaire latin-français des auteurs du moyen-âge: lexicon latinitatis medii aevi (Corpus christianorum) (overall work in Latin and French), Turnhout: Brepols, page 396.

[2] Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “formaticum”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volumes 3: D–F, page 719

[3] Pope, Mildred K. 1934. From Latin to French. Manchester University Press. §165.1.

[4] Palladius, Opus Agriculturae 6.9.2

[5] rmella in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

[6] Sorbello, Albano. 1906–7. L'Archiginnasio. Bollettino della Biblioteca comunale di Bologna. Vol. I–II. 178.

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