Don't know nuffink about no Roman lit-rit-chure, but I got a Latin question.
The Latin for "iron," "ferrum" is listed on websites as being also a word for
"sword." Knowing a little about sword history, I wondered whether "ferrum" and
"gladius" co-existed or whether the development of the bloomery furnace (isn't
that a word!), pattern welding and then steel caused "ferrum" to fade from
Roman vocabulary as technology improved. I suppose what I'd need is an OED for
Latin, something with historical entries on usage Or people on a list who know
stuff like this.
David Ritchie,
idling on a Sunday in
Portland,
Oregon------------------------------------------------------------------
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