Vulgates

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An ancient Latin translation of the Bible that became the standard text for Western Christianity and influential in theology and literature
2. A version of the Scriptures that was widely used by the Catholic Church, often noted for its accessibility and widespread impact on Christian doctrine
3. Referring to the commonly accepted Latin version of biblical texts that served as a foundation for many later translations and religious discourse

Etymology: "Vulgates" is simply the plural of "vulgate," so it refers to more than one such version. The singular "vulgate" comes from Latin "vulgātus," the past participle of "vulgō," a verb meaning "publish, make common, cheapen." The sense of making something public or widely available is the key to the name: the Latin text was the version of the Bible put before the people, the one that circulated broadly across Western Christendom. Over time, "vulgate" came to be used as a common noun for any such standard, widely circulated text, and the capitalised form still names the Latin Bible traditionally associated with Saint Jerome. Its meaning of "made common" is the root of the modern sense, which is why the word now signals authority as much as ordinariness.