Italicus

Forms

Italicus (feminine Italica, neuter Italicum); first/second-declension adjective^[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Latin Italia + -icus.^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Cicero uses it of the Greek philosophers of southern Italy, who were once called Italicī, and of the Social War as tumultus Italicus.^[1][4]

Semantic evolution

It meant “Italian”, of Italy or its peoples, sometimes in contrast with “Roman”; as a noun, an Italicus was an Italian.^[1][2] The bellum Italicum was the Social War of 91–88 BC between Rome and its Italian allies, and the Italicī were the allied peoples.^[1][2] A legion raised in Italy was the legiō Italica in Tacitus,^[1] and the iūs Italicum was the set of privileges, including immunity from land tax, that some provincial towns received.^[1]

Pliny the Younger uses the noun of a man from Italy as opposed to a provincial.^[2]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero speaks of the Italicī philosophers and the tumultus Italicus.^[1][4]
• 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder uses iūs Italicum.^[1][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of Italy or its peoples, Italian.^[1][2][3]
2. Of Italy in the older sense, southern Italy and its Greek cities.^[1]
3. bellum Italicum: the Social War.^[1][2]
4. iūs Italicum: the privileges of Italian land granted to a provincial town.^[1]

Noun

1. An Italian;^[1][2] (plural) the Italian allies of Rome.^[1][2]

Usage notes

The same word is a cognomen, best known from the epic poet Silius Italicus.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
3. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de