BELGIUM-ROOTS Project Belgian Sources Latin Vocabulary

Latin Word Lists

• Genealogical Word List Latin by the Family History Library (LDS)
  with language characteristics, ...
• Medieval Latin Word List by Lynn H. Nelson (University of Kansas)
• Latin Language Resources by Forum Romanum
• Latin Dictionary and Grammar Aid by the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
• LATIN-to-ENGLISH DICTIONARY PROGRAM "WORDS" - Version 1.97

Baptism records

Almost all baptismal records give the date of baptism and the date of birth. Surely, there is no problem picking out the word baptism. But be mindful of the words 'natus' or 'nata' (born). 'natus, natum' indicates a male child and 'nata, natam' signifies a female child.

 

A few more words:

filius, filium, fs:    son
filia, filiam, fa:     daughter
legitimus, legitima:   legitimate (male, female)
conjugum, coniugum:    from the lawfully married man and wife
susceperunt:           have upheld for the baptism = the godparents, sponsors;
                       often abreviated as 'susc'.
ex:                    from
ex hac:                from here (this parish)
habitans:              residing here
sub conditione:        conditionnaly
ab obstetrice:         by the midwife
hodie:                 today
eadam die:             same day
heri:                  yesterday
nudius tertius:        it is the third day, this is "the day before yesterday"

 

Most priests were quite succinct in their entries, giving little beside pertinant data. However, every now and then you may come across a baptismal record where the priest has identified the relationship of the baptismal sponsors to the child being baptised. Therefore you may find the following page helpful: Kinship in Latin

Marriage records

Keep in mind when you are looking in marriage records that many couples registered their engagement prior to their marriage. It would be identified in records as "sponsalia". The engagement/betrothal and the actual marriage are usually entered in the registers in separate places. Occasionally the actual marriage date is added onto the engagement entry.

sponsalia:              betrothal/engagement
contraxerunt:           contracted
inierunt:               entered into
matrimonio juncti sunt: were united in matrimony
coram me:               before me (meaning the priest)
cum dispensatione ab impedimento consanguinitatis:
                        with dispensation from the impediment of bloodrelationship
testes fuerent:         witnesses were
praeviis tribus bannis: three banns having preceded.

If one of the marriage partners had been widowed you will find the word

viduus:                 widower (often followed by the deceased spouse's name)
vidua:                  widow (often followed by the deceased spouse's name)

This web site is the collective work of the subscribers to the mail list BELGIUM-ROOTS-L founded June 1998 by Georges Picavet (see our members page and the copyrights page for more info) Q:\webbeta\rw_belgiumroots\src\bel\glossary_latin00.html (br_src_bel) This Global file was last updated 18/01/2007 23:48:40 CET and uploaded Thursday, 18-Jan-2007 16:14:48 MST