anguste

Forms

angustē (comparative angustius, superlative angustissimē)^[1] Comparative angustius, superlative angustissimē.^[2][1]

Etymology

It is from Latin angustus (“narrow”) + -ē.^[2][3] De Vaan traces angustus to Proto-Italic *angosto- and Proto-Indo-European *h2emǵh-os-to- (“characterized by narrowness”), from the root of angō (“to squeeze, choke”).^[4] Cognate with Ancient Greek ἄγχω (ánkhō, “to squeeze, strangle”) and Old High German angust (“fear”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Cicero.^[3] The OLD's first citation is Varro, who derives sēmita, a path, from a way that is narrow: qua id anguste, semita.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Its physical senses are within narrow limits, in a cramped manner, as Caesar's troops foraging within a narrow range and his effort to hem Pompey in as closely as possible;^[2] of pruning it is closely.^[2] It also means in a crowded manner, close together, as Varro's cows that should not stand too close and Caesar's soldiers packed on the ships,^[2] and in small amount, sparingly, as grain that grew scantily in a dry year.^[2] Figuratively it is to a limited extent, and of speech or writing, within narrow limits, concisely or exactly:^[2] Cicero speaks of nothing written so narrowly that he could not add a clause to it, and of those who think speaking in a narrow, meagre way is Attic.^[2] It is also in a narrow sense, of a word's meaning.^[2] Wiktionary adds the sense with difficulty.^[1]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro, of a narrow path and of cows standing close together.^[2][3]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero, of concise writing and a narrow sense.^[2][3]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar, of foraging within narrow limits.^[2][3]

Meanings

Adverb

1. Narrowly, within narrow limits, in a cramped manner; of pruning, closely.^[2][1]
2. In a crowded manner, close together.^[2][1]
3. Sparingly, scantily; to a limited extent.^[2][1]
4. Within narrow limits, concisely, exactly; in a narrow sense.^[2][1]
5. With difficulty.^[1]

Related words

• angustus
• angustia
• angō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 q Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill