Etymologically
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aevum

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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
  • 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