Mesue the Elder
/ˈmɛz.juː ði ˈɛl.dər/noun
A Latinized name for Yūḥannā ibn Māsawayh, a ninth-century physician and medical writer associated with the Abbasid court.
Did you know?Mesue the Elder was a Christian physician working in the Abbasid world, and later European authors attributed medical works to him that were partly compiled or transmitted under his name.
Etymological Timeline
9th Century
Arabic/Syriac
Yūḥannā ibn Māsawayh
“The historical name of the physician, literally John, son of Māsawayh; he served in the Abbasid intellectual and medical milieu.”
9th Century
Arabic
Ibn Māsawayh
“A patronymic form meaning “son of Māsawayh,” identifying the physician through his father’s name.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
Mesue
“A Latinized form of Māsawayh used by European translators and medical authors.”
13th–15th Century
Latin
Mesue senior
““Mesue the elder,” used to distinguish the earlier physician from the later figure known as Mesue the Younger.”
Early Modern English
English
Mesue the Elder
“The English form of the historical Latin designation for Yūḥannā ibn Māsawayh.”