The origin, meaning, and development of the latin verb matizare

Abstract

This article explores the etymology of a technical term used to describe part of the process of painting, matizare. The currently accepted etymology derives the verb from the Late Greek verb lammatizein. Using a hitherto unnoticed attestation of this word in marginal gloss in a manuscript of Priscian, this article argues that the verb derives from the Latin noun haematites, and was coined around the end of the eleventh century in the circle of Lanfranc of Bec.