Definitio and its taxonomies in the Latin exegetical grammars of the High Middle Ages: some considerations

Abstract

The paper examines the notion of definitio in the context of the exegetical grammars of the Early Middle Ages dealing with the partes orationis.
It highlights the contribution that the Hibernolatin milieux offer to the study of the structures of Latin and how, in the transition from Pre-Carolingian to the Carolingian age, the use of definitio is refined and articulated in typologies resulting from a closer dialogue with the texts of the Logica vetus, the Ars Prisciani, and the etymological praxis.