Searchable Lemmata: cilicium (L), cilic (OE), cilic (Ir), cilice (MdE).
Alternate Forms: cilicia, cilicio, cilicius, cilitio, silicio, siliciu, silic, chilic, cilicc, ciliciis, silici, cillches.
NOTE(n.)
Textile;
Cilicium (from whence modern cilice) referred originally to cloths made from the hair of a goat, relating to a practice associated with Cilicia in Asia Minor (according to Varro, De Rustica II:12), but was later associated with cloth made from various kinds of animal hair. It was typically a loosely-woven, rough cloth of a dark colour. The term's use in the Vulgate Bible saw it associated with mourning and penitential garb (Isaiah 3:24; Judith 8:6 & 10:2) and with hangings and carpets (Exodus 26:7; Samuel 21:10). The phrase 'niger tamquam saccus cilicinus' ('black as a hair-cloth sack') appears in Revelations 6:12. From about the 11th century in British texts, the term is associated with penitential garments and (more frequently) with burial cloths and shrouds for monastics. However, as the attestations below demonstrate, cilice/cilicium came to refer to cloths used in a variety of circumstances. See Rogers, P. (forthcoming), 'Cilicium' [Brill's Encyclopaedia of Medieval Dress and Textiles of the British Isles c. 450-1450, forthcoming 2011].(ante 700 - ante 1500)
Use: n/a Ceremonial: No
Body Parts:
1a(n.)
Textile;
haircloth or sackcloth of animal hair (typically goat); with various uses but frequently used for a covering or curtain.(ante 700 - ante 1500)
1. Aulaea vela picta et grandia; quae ideo aulaea dicta sunt quod primum in aula Attali regis Asiae, cui successit populus Romanus, inventa sunt. Cortinae sunt aulaea, id est vela, de pellibus, qualia in Exodo leguntur, a quibus tabornaculum extrinsecus tegebatur. Dictae autem cortinae a coreis, eo quod prius ex pellibus fuissent factae. Vnde et in eodem tabernaculo legis iubetur cortinas fieri ex pellibus arietum rubris et ex pellibus iacintinis. Cilicia Arabes nuncupant velamenta pilis caprarum contexta, ex quibus sibi tentoria faciunt.
[DOE ISID. Etym. (19,26,8-10)]
2. De loricis. Lorica vocata eo quod loris careat; solis enim circulis ferreis contexta est. Squama est lorica ferrea ex lamminis ferreis aut aereis concatenata in modum squamae piscis, et ex ipso splendore squanarum et similitudine nuncupata. De ciliciis autem et poliuntur loricae et teguntur.
[DOE ISID. Etym. (18,13,1-2) ante 700]
3. facies et saga cilicina undecim ad operiendum tectum tabernaculii longitudo sagi unius habebit triginta cubitoset latitudo quattuor aequa erit mensura sagorum omnium.
Biblical/Hagiographic.
[DOE Biblia Sacra (Fischer, et al.) (Ex 26,7-8)]
4. uae tibi Chorozain uae tibi Bethsaida quia si in Tyro et Sidone factae essent uirtutes quae factæ sunt in uobis olim in cilicio et cinere paenitentiam egissent wæ ðe Chorazaim wæ Beðsaiða forðon gif in Tiro & Sidone gewoerden woeron mæhte ða geworden aron in iuh for long in asca ł in cilic & in asca hreownisse dydon ł worhton
[DOE MtGl (Li) (11.21)]
5. Ic soðlice þonne me hefie wæron ic gegyryde me mid hæran & geeadmodude o fæstynne sawle mine & gebed min on bearme minum se forcyrryd: Ego autem dum mihi molesti essent induebam me cilicio et humiliabam in ieiunio animam meam et oratio mea in sinum meum conuertetur.
[DOE PsGlC (Wildhagen) (0483 (34.13))]
7. Itaque secessit ad proxima loca, ibique per triduum cilicio tectus et cinere, jejunans semper atque orans, precabatur a Domino, ut, quia templum illud evertere humana manus non potuisset, virtus illud divina [Col.0168D] dirueret.
[LexP Vita Martin PL (vita Martini Col. 0168D)]
8. Sed nec hoc praetereundum est, quod fimbriae vestimentis ejus cilicioque detractae, crebras super infirmantibus egere virtutes: nam aut digitis illigatae, aut collo inditae persaepe ab aegrotantibus morbos effugaverunt.
[LexP Vita Martin PL (vita Martin Col 0170C)]
10. etach inisel pendaite ... .i. etach silici .i. étach dognither do fhindfad gabar
[eDIL PH (453)]
11. Inde revertentes, thalamum velo et auleis, non cortina vel cilic[i]o, ornatum, ingressi sumus.
[AND TLL (1,175,27-28)]
12. velo : de beu curtin / in auleis : de curtina de sal / cortina : de curtiy a muycer / cilicio : de cenehle vel de here.
[AND TLL (2,60,21-22)]
Sex: Male, Female Ceremonial: No
Body Parts:
1b(n.)
Garment;
garment worn in penance, made of a rough hair cloth.(ante 900 - ante 1400 ?)
1. Uae tibi corazain uae tibi bethsaida quia si in tyro et sidone fact fuissent uirtutes quae in uobis facte sunt olim in cilicio et cinere sedentes pęniterent : wæ ðe þæt is burug wæ ðe þæt is æc burg forðon gif & awordna woeron ða mæhto ðaðe in iuih awordeno woeron forlonge in huitum hrægle & on asca hia waldon sitta þætte hea gehreawsadon geboeton.
[DOE LkGl (Li) (0484 (10.13))]
4. [cilicium] .i. i pennait quia cilicium nomen vestis est quae fit do finnaib gabur no chamaill. sochaide díb no hédithe o chilic camellorum setis
[eDIL Lat. Lives (93.2)]
11. religiosi et alii qui non curant de ornatu corporis, sicut utentes cilitio (cf. Id. 45v. 2: si pediculi multiplicentur a causa intrinseca et non ab extrinseca, sicut est in jacentibus in silicio)
Medical.
[DMLBS GAD. (113v. 1)]
Ceremonial: No
Body Parts:
1c(n.)
Furnishing;
sack-cloth used as a bedspread (especially on a death-bed, sprinkled with ashes); prescribed in British texts as early as Lanfranc's Constitutions (a1089).(ante 1089 - 1500 ?)
1. egro ... morituro famulus ... cilicium expandat et supra illud, ad mensuram longitudinis et latitudinis quam ipsum cilicium habet, signum crucis de cineribus faciat, morientemque desuper ponat
Ecclesiastic/Regula.
[DMLBS LANFR. (Const. 182) ante 1089]
Sex: Male, Female Use: Ecclesiastical Ceremonial: Yes
Body Parts: Entire Body.
1c(n.)
Raw Material;
hair-cloth used for drying malt or similar.(1268 - 1340 ?)
Sex: N/A Use: Secular Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
