aevum

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈae̯.wũː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈɛː.vum]^[1]

Forms

aevum n (genitive aevī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *aiwom (“period, age”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyu- (“long time, lifetime”).^[1][2] The TLL thinks it was first the neuter of an adjective.^[3] Cognate with Sanskrit आयुस् (āyus, “life”), Ancient Greek αἰών (aiṓn, “age”), Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃 (aiws, “time, age”) and German ewig (“eternal”).^[4][5] The old spelling was ⟨aevom⟩, and Plautus and Lucretius treat it as masculine.^[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler gives Ennius first.^[2] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.^[2] Plautus has it, as a masculine, in a prayer to Jupiter “through whom we live our life”.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant time as an endless continuous duration, the whole of past or future time, in aevum or per aevum was “for ever”.^[4][5] From this it was time as the cause of change and decay, a very long period, an age, a generation or century, and the lifetime of a person.^[4] It also meant life and existence, undying fame, vigour, one's age in years, and old age.^[4]

In Christian and medieval Latin it was this present world and eternity,^[6] and medieval philosophy used it for aeviternity, the mean between time and eternity.^[1] It survives in Italian evo and Spanish evo.^[1]

Timeline

• 204–169 BC – Ennius uses the word.^[2]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it as a masculine, of life.^[4][2]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses per aevom “for ever”.^[5][2]
• Middle Ages – It is used of this present world and of eternity.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. Endless time, eternity, in aevum, for ever.^[4][5]
2. The passage of time; a long period, an age.^[4]
3. A generation, century.^[4]
4. A lifetime, life; undying fame.^[4]
5. Vigour; one's age in years; old age.^[4]
6. (Medieval Latin) This present world, (philosophy) aeviternity.^[6][1]

Word family

• aequaevus
• aetās
• aeternus
• aeviternus
• aevus
• coaevus
• grandaevus
• longaevus
• magnaevus
• prīmaevus

Related words

• English age
• English eternal
• English aye

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill