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aemulor

Etymology and origin of the Latin word aemulor

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (aemulus)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈae̯.mʊ.ɫɔr][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈɛː.mu.lor][1]

Forms

aemulor (present infinitive aemulārī, perfect active aemulātus sum); first conjugation, deponent[1]

Etymology

It is from aemulus “rivalling” with the verbal suffix -ō, in deponent form.[2][1][3] An active form ⟨aemulō⟩ also occurs.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citations are from Plautus, of imitating someone's actions.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to vie with, rival, emulate a person, as in Nepos and Livy's rousing of minds to emulation, to imitate someone's actions, and to come near to equalling.[2][5] It meant to copy practices or qualities, as in Terence, to pursue a study as a disciple, to be jealous or envious, as in Propertius, and to take a literary work as a model or copy a work of art.[2] Lewis and Short note it was used in good and bad senses.[3] Döderlein says imitor is just to copy, while aemulārī is to strive to equal or surpass.[6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to envy, emulate, rival.[7] It survives in French émuler and Italian emulare.[1] English emulate came in the 1580s, and English emulation from aemulātiō.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of imitating.[2][4]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of copying practices.[2][4]
  • c. 100–24 BC – Nepos uses it of rivalling a person.[2][4]
  • 1580s – English emulate is recorded.[8]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To rival, vie with, emulate.[2]
  2. To imitate, copy.[2]
  3. To be jealous, envious (of).[2]
  4. To take as a model.[2]

Word family

  • aemula
  • aemulātiō
  • aemulātor
  • aemulātrīx
  • aemulātus
  • obaemulor
  • *subaemulātiō
  • subaemulor

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 l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Aemulor.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/aemulor. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·