Etymologically
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amicus

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [aˈmiː.kʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [aˈmiː.kus][1]

Forms

amīcus m (genitive amīcī, feminine amīca); second declension[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin amō (“to love”) + -īcus; the adjective “friendly” is the original use.[2][3] De Vaan suggests that the suffix -īcus may come from an instrumental in *-ih₁ with *-ko-, as in pudīcus and mendīcus.[2][1] The verb is inherited from Proto-Italic *ama- (“to take, hold”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₃mh₃- (“to take hold of”), the meaning having developed from taking someone's hand to regarding as a friend.[2] An old form ⟨amecus⟩ is reported by Festus.[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates the noun from Naevius and the adjective from Plautus.[2] Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

As a noun it was a personal friend and also a lover.[3] In public life it was a political supporter, and in the plural a ruler's retinue, his courtiers and counsellors, amīcus populī Rōmānī was a title given to foreign kings and peoples.[3] A philosopher's amīcī were his followers.[3] The adjective meant friendly or well-disposed, politically supportive, loyal and dear.[3] Döderlein notes that amīcus implies a calm affection returned by the other, unlike amāns and amātor.[6]

In medieval Latin an amīcus was a freeman who had commended himself to a lord, and the amīcī rēgis were the great men around a king.[7] It survives in Italian amico, Spanish amigo and French ami.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses the noun.[2][5]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses the adjective and the noun “friend”.[2][3][5]
  • c. 50 BC – Caesar uses it of a king's counsellors.[3][5]
  • Middle Ages – It is used of a freeman under a lord's protection.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A friend.[3]
  2. A lover.[3]
  3. A political supporter, partisan, (plural) a ruler's courtiers, counsellors.[3]
  4. A friend of the Roman people (a title of foreign kings and peoples).[3]
  5. A follower, disciple.[3]
  6. (Medieval Latin) A freeman under a lord's protection.[7]

Adjective

  1. Friendly, well-disposed, amicable.[3]
  2. Politically supportive, (of states) friendly, allied.[3]
  3. Loyal, devoted; dear.[3][1]

Word family

  • amīcālis
  • amīcōsus
  • amīculus
  • amīca
  • amīcitia
  • amīcitiēs
  • inimīcus
  • peramicus
  • amīcābilis
  • amīcē
  • amīciter
  • amīcō
  • amō
  • amor
  • English amicable
  • English enemy
  • English amity

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ 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. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  7. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill