adulter

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [aˈdʊɫ.tɛr]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [aˈdul.ter]^[1]

Forms

adulter m (genitive adulterī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is perhaps a back-formation from adulterō “to commit adultery, falsify”, from ad- and alter “other”.^[2][1][3] Festus explained it as one who goes to another man's wife or another woman's husband.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Plautus, whom he dates c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

As a noun it meant an illicit lover, adulterer, as in Cicero, with the feminine adultera, and Virgil and Horace call Paris and Helen adulter and adultera.^[2][6] As an adjective it meant adulterous, unchaste, as Horace's hair curled like a lover's and Ovid's adulterous thoughts, and of things impure, adulterated, cross-bred or debased, with adultera clāvis “a skeleton key”.^[2][4]

In Medieval Latin it meant spurious, illegitimate, and unauthorized.^[7][8] It survives in French adultère and Spanish adúltero.^[1] English adultery came about 1300 through Old French avouterie, from avoutre “adulterer”.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of adulterers.^[6][5]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil calls Paris the Trojan adulterer.^[6][5]
• c. 1300 – English adultery is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. An adulterer, illicit lover.^[2]

Adjective

1. Adulterous, unchaste.^[2]
2. Impure, adulterated; debased, adultera clāvis, a skeleton key.^[2]
3. (Medieval Latin) Spurious; illegitimate.^[7]

Word family

• adulterīnus
• adulterio
• adultera
• adulteritas
• adulterium

Related words

• adulterātiō
• adulterātor
• adulterātrīx
• adulterō
• alter
• English adultery

References

1. ^ a b c d e 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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
8. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press