THE USE AND MEANING OF THE TERM DACTYLIOTHECA IN PORTUGAL, IN LATIN SOURCES AND IN MODERN SPEECHES

Abstract

We study the use of the term dactyliotheca in authors of Roman classical antiquity and the use and meaning of the term in Latin and modern records in some prominent European books. The study reveals that this term gains popularity in the eighteenth century and undergoes a change in meaning as a result of the study of gems, which is becoming increasingly popular. In Portugal, this term, already seen in Latin dictionaries since at least the sixteenth century, is mentioned in Portuguese dictionaries, albeit over time all the more succinctly.