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admonitus

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word admonitus

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
81–43 BC, Cicero
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*mon-eie-)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin moneo
Latin commoneo
Latin admoneo
Latin admonitio
Latin admonitus
Latin monumentum
Latin monitio
Latin monitus
Latin praemoneo

Forms

admonitus m (genitive admonitūs); fourth declension[1] Apart from one passage of Martianus Capella, only the ablative admonitū is found.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin admoneō (“to remind”) + -tus, a verbal noun of the fourth declension.[1][3][2] That verb is ad- with moneō (“to remind”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *moneje- and Proto-Indo-European *mon-eie- (“to make think of, remind”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Cicero,[5] who says that places remind us more keenly of famous men.[1][3]

Semantic evolution

It is the act of reminding, a reminder, and also being reminded, remembrance, as Ovid's mind that flees at the reminder.[1] It is advice, prompting or instigation: Cicero wrote books for Varro at Atticus' prompting, and sent a praetor at the prompting of the Allobroges.[1][3] He also uses it of a word of command that turns a beast with a light touch.[1] It is a warning of danger, as the warning of the soothsayers.[1] Lewis & Short call it classical.[3]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of reminders, advice and warnings.[1][3][5]
  • 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid of remembrance.[1]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A reminding, reminder; remembrance.[1][3]
  2. Advice, prompting, instigation; a word of command.[1][3]
  3. A warning.[1]

Usage notes

admonitus, -a, -um is also the perfect participle of admoneō, reminded or warned.[3][6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  2. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ 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 Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Cite this entry

“Admonitus.” Etymologically, 20 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/admonitus. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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