admodum

Forms

admodum (not comparable)^[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of ad (“to”) and modum, the accusative of modus (“measure”), literally “up to the measure”.^[2][1][3] De Vaan traces ⟨modus⟩ to Proto-Italic *medo- (“measure”) and Proto-Indo-European *med-o- (“measure”), cognate with Umbrian mers (“law”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler give Naevius as its first author.^[4][5] Plautus has it often, as trīstis admodum est, “he is very sad”, in the Menaechmi.^[2]

Semantic evolution

With verbs it is “to a great extent, greatly”, and with adjectives and adverbs “very, quite”; after a negative it is “altogether”, and nihil admodum is “nothing at all”.^[2][3] With ages and amounts it means “quite”, as Plautus' “he is quite a young man”, with numbers “fully” (Caesar's fully 120 towers) or “only” (Curtius), and in answers “yes, quite”.^[2] Lewis and Short note that poets other than the comic writers scarcely use it.^[3]

Church Latin glosses it “very, exceedingly, completely”.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 235–200 BC – Naevius.^[4][5]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of “very” and in answers.^[2][5]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar with numbers.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of “at all”.^[2][5]

Meanings

Adverb

1. To a great extent, greatly; very, quite.^[2][1][3]
2. (after a negative) Altogether, nihil admodum, nothing at all.^[2][6]
3. (with ages, amounts) Quite, (with numbers) fully; only.^[2]
4. (in answers) Yes, quite, precisely.^[2]

Related words

• modus
• modo
• valdē

Usage notes

Döderlein ranks admodum, with valdē and multum, as a simple, quiet intensive, against perquam, which adds the speaker's astonishment.^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper