annuntius

Annuntius is a Latin noun meaning a messenger or announcer. It is derived from the verb annuntiare, to announce, and is used to designate a person who conveys news, proclamations, or signals from a source to an audience. In classical and late antique Latin, annuntius appears in contexts where information or decrees must be publicly conveyed.

In Roman usage, annuntii or annuntiator roles would encompass carrying edicts, public notices, or military intelligence from magistrates or commanders to the people or troops. The term overlaps with nuntius, a more common word for messenger, but annuntius often emphasizes the act of public proclamation or formal announcement rather than private communication. The concept extends to various official or ceremonial contexts in which news is announced to a community.

During medieval and ecclesiastical Latin, the word continued to denote heralds or messengers within churches and courts, responsible for conveying decrees, announcements, or ceremonial news. In such usage, annuntius remains part of a broader vocabulary of communication and public address.

In modern scholarship, annuntius is primarily of interest in studies of Latin lexicography, prosody, and historical semantics. The term also has descendants in Romance languages through the root annunt-, with related words for announcement or announcer appearing in languages such as Italian.