crismon

Latin

Etymology

Medieval Latin; the meaning "chrism" is attested in the 12th century, apparently by corruption of Ancient Greek χρίσμα (khrísma). The meaning "Christogram" is of uncertain origin;[1] Millin (1817) suggests derivation from χρησμός (khrēsmós, “oracle”) specifically in the instance of the "Chrismon Sancti Ambrosii" (i.e. the "oracle of St. Ambrose), an ancient Chi-Rho symbol on a marble slab in Milan cathedral, from which the term chrismon would have been transferred to the Chi-Rho symbol in general.[2]

Noun

crismon

Christogram, chrismon (Chi-Rho monogram)
chrism
- c. 1130: "In sabbato secundo de Quadragesima, duo minores custodes septimanarii […] debent quærere cilicium ab archiepiscopo, et debent portare in medio ecclesiæ, et facere Chrismon super illud decurrere." L. A. Murator, Antiquitates Italicae medii aevi vol. 4, col. 912.

Descendants

chrismon
chrismum

References

crismon in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)

Crismon (par les Bénédictins de St. Maur, 1733–1736), in: du Cange, et al., Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, ed. augm., Niort : L. Favre, 1883‑1887, t. 2, col. 621b. "CRISMON, Nota quæ in libro ex voluntate uniuscujusque ad aliquid notandum ponitur. Papias in MS. Bituric. Crismon vel Chrismon proprie est Monogramma Christi sic expressum ☧" 1 chrismon (par les Bénédictins de St. Maur, 1733–1736), in: du Cange, et al., Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, ed. augm., Niort : L. Favre, 1883‑1887, t. 2, col. 318c, citing Heumann. de re Diplom. inde a Carol. M. § 12; Murator. Antiquit. Ital. tom. 3. col. 75. The suggestion here is that the letter χ for χρηστός (khrēstós) "useful" was used as a scribal siglum in manuscript margins to draw attention to important passages; this letter χ would itself have been called χρήσιμα, which in turn became the name of the Christogram, no doubt via influence of chrisma and of the name Christus itself.
A. L. Millin, Voyage dans le Milanais (1817), p. 51.

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[1] Crismon (par les Bénédictins de St. Maur, 1733–1736), in: du Cange, et al., Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, ed. augm., Niort : L. Favre, 1883‑1887, t. 2, col. 621b. "CRISMON, Nota quæ in libro ex voluntate uniuscujusque ad aliquid notandum ponitur. Papias in MS. Bituric. Crismon vel Chrismon proprie est Monogramma Christi sic expressum ☧" 1 chrismon (par les Bénédictins de St. Maur, 1733–1736), in: du Cange, et al., Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, ed. augm., Niort : L. Favre, 1883‑1887, t. 2, col. 318c, citing Heumann. de re Diplom. inde a Carol. M. § 12; Murator. Antiquit. Ital. tom. 3. col. 75. The suggestion here is that the letter χ for χρηστός (khrēstós) "useful" was used as a scribal siglum in manuscript margins to draw attention to important passages; this letter χ would itself have been called χρήσιμα, which in turn became the name of the Christogram, no doubt via influence of chrisma and of the name Christus itself.

[2] A. L. Millin, Voyage dans le Milanais (1817), p. 51.