Monday, December 16, 2013

Where did the term 'Lollard' come from?

Where did the term 'Lollard' come from? Interestingly, books, articles, and the internet of full of both correct and incorrect information. While Wikipedia's article on the Lollards is very thorough and slightly flawed at a few points, the section on the origins of the word itself is informative (and aligns with many of the sources that I've read):

The term is said to have been coined by the Anglo-Irish cleric, Henry Crumpe, but its exact origin is uncertain. Possibilities include:


1. From the [Middle] Dutch 'lollaerd', meaning mumbler/mutterer, from 'lollen', "to mutter/mumble".


2. The Latin 'lolium' (the name of Common Vetch or tares, as a noxious weed mingled with the good Catholic wheat).


3. The name of Lolhard, a Franciscan who converted to the Waldensian way and became an eminent preacher in Guienne. That region of France was under English control during the era he lived, and his preaching may have influenced lay English piety. He was burned near Cologne in the mid 1300s.


4. The Middle English term loller (akin to modern, albeit semi-archaic, verb loll), meaning "a lazy vagabond, an idler, a fraudulent beggar". However, this word is not recorded in this sense before 1582.


As a note, not all 'Wycliffites' were Lollards, nor were all Lollards Wycliffites. (I consider myself both.)

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