secular arm

The story

1. Latin · derived frombracchium“arm”
2. Medieval Latin · calque ofbracchium saeculāre“(figurative) civil or lay power”
3. Middle English · inherited fromseculer arm
4. English todaysecular arm

From Late Middle English seculer arm, seculer arme (“civil authority or power”), a calque of Medieval Latin bracchium saeculāre (“(figurative) civil or lay power”), from Latin bracchium (“arm”) + saeculāre (neuter singular form of saeculāris (“profane, temporal, worldly”)).

Words from the same roots