Latin in Medieval Britain - Sources, Language, and Lexicography

The display

The sources: from sources to Dictionary

For the display, we have selected six of the Dictionary's sources — covering nearly 500 years of British history — to show the breadth of Medieval Latin, and how the Dictionary researched and wrote its entries.

For each source, we include one of the quotations taken from that source, and one of the entries which featured that quotation. To view the sources, starting with the Life of St Kenelm (Vita S. Kenelmi), visit our gallery of items.

The Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources

The Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources (DMLBS) is the most comprehensive dictionary of Medieval Latin to have been produced and the first ever to focus on British Medieval Latin. For more about the Dictionary and its history, visit our page on the dictionary.

The language: an introduction to British Medieval Latin

The use of Latin alongside everyday languages in medieval Britain is part of a long and complex linguistic heritage. For nearly a thousand years, Latin was the principal written language of the British Isles. To find out more, visit our page on British Medieval Latin.

The display was selected and designed by the Bodleian's Sallyanne Gilchrist and by Shelagh Sneddon of the DMLBS.

About this website

Content was written and selected by Shelagh Sneddon and Tom Wrobel, along with the DMLBS team. The site was designed and developed by Tom Wrobel.

The dmlbs, a celebration

To mark the centenary of the DMLBS, and the publication of the final fascicle in December 2013, the Bodleian Library is curating a display covering the Dictionary and its sources.

The display includes some of the original manuscript sources on which the Dictionary is based, as well as early printed materials, and items from the Dictionary’s 100-year history.