-arius

Forms

-ārius (feminine -āria, neuter -ārium); first/second-declension suffix^[1]

Etymology

The suffix is inherited from Proto-Italic *-āzios,^[1] which the OLD writes *-āsios,^[2] also seen in Oscan sakrasias and Umbrian plenasier, a locative plural meaning “Ides”.^[2][1][3] Wiktionary analyses it as *-āso-, from Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂so-, compare the Hittite suffix -ašša-, extended with *-yós (“belonging to”).^[1] Weiss holds that there is no certain analysis of the Italic form; one suggestion builds it on a genitive singular in ⟨-ās⟩, and he finds the same formation in cognomina of non-Roman origin such as Vespāsius.^[3] The noun in -ārius is this adjective used substantively.^[1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus already has the adjectives onerārius “for carrying loads” and vīnārius “pertaining to wine” and the noun argentārius “banker”, from argentum.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The adjectives were often turned into names of trades,^[3] so that the masculine noun commonly means a dealer or worker in something.^[2][1] This agent use is the main one to survive in Romance: French -ier, Spanish -ero and Italian -aio.^[3] The neuter and feminine also became suffixes of their own, -ārium and -āria.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus has argentārius, onerārius, operārius and vīnārius.^[3][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero has tabernārius “shopkeeper”.^[3][4]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar has legiōnārius “a legionary”.^[3][4]

Meanings

Suffix

1. Forms adjectives from nouns or numerals, “connected with”: agrārius, honōrārius, balneārius.^[2][1][3]
2. Forms masculine nouns meaning a dealer, artisan or other agent: carbōnārius, ferrārius, tabernārius.^[2][1][3]

Word family

• -ārium
• -āria
• agrārius
• argentārius
• balneārius
• carbōnārius
• ferrārius
• honōrārius
• legiōnārius
• onerārius
• operārius
• tabernārius
• vīnārius

Related words

• -ius
• English -ary

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Weiss, Michael (2020), Outline of the Historical and Comparative Grammar of Latin, 2nd ed., Ann Arbor: Beech Stave
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de