anceps

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈaŋ.kɛps]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈan̠ʲ.t͡ʃeps]^[1]

Forms

anceps (genitive ancipitis); third-declension one-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from ambi- (“on both sides”) and -ceps (“headed”), from caput “head”.^[2][1][3] Plautus has a nominative ⟨ancipes⟩.^[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citations are from Plautus, of a two-edged weapon and double dangers.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant two-headed, facing two ways, as Ovid's two-faced Janus, of weapons two-edged, as in Plautus, and exposed on both sides.^[2][3] It meant twofold, double, having two meanings, of amphibians living two lives, of war fought on two fronts, as in Varro, and of dangers arising from two sides.^[2] It meant wavering, undecided, of battles indecisive, as in Virgil and Livy, of outcomes doubtful, critical, and dangerous, perilous, with in ancipitī “in danger”.^[2] It meant ambiguous, of persons unreliable or undecided, as in Sallust.^[2] Döderlein says dubius and ambiguus concern doubt about success, anceps danger.^[6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant two-edged, double, uncertain, ambiguous, dangerous.^[7] In Medieval Latin it meant a two-edged weapon, a two-handed sword.^[8][9] English prosody uses the phrase syllaba anceps.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of a two-edged weapon.^[2][5]
• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of a war on two fronts.^[2][5]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of an undecided battle.^[2][5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Two-headed; facing two ways; two-edged.^[2]
2. Twofold, double.^[2]
3. Wavering; undecided, indecisive.^[2]
4. Doubtful; critical.^[2]
5. Dangerous, perilous.^[2]
6. Ambiguous; unreliable.^[2]

Word family

• peranceps

Related words

• caput
• praeceps
• dubius

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 m n o p Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
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. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
9. ^ 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