apertus

Forms

apertus (feminine aperta, neuter apertum, comparative apertior, superlative apertissimus); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is the past participle of aperiō (“to open”), used as an adjective.^[1][2][3] De Vaan derives aperiō from Proto-Italic *ap-wer-je- (“to open”), with the prefix of ab and Proto-Indo-European *h₂wer- (“to cover”); its opposite is operiō (“to cover”).^[4] Cognate with Lithuanian atvérti (“to open”) and Sanskrit वृणोति (vṛṇóti, “covers”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus has apertiōre magis viā; ita plānē loquar, “by a more open way;^[1] I'll speak plainly”.^[1] Cato says wheat should be sown in locō apertō, celsō, “in an open, high place”.^[1]

Semantic evolution

Apertus is “open”, of doors (Cicero: apertō ōstiō, “with the door open”), buildings, places free of obstacles, and of a house or ship “roofless”.^[1][5] Of eyes and ears it is “open”, of the body “uncovered, bare”, and “exposed” to the weather or to attack (Ovid: zephyrō semper apertus Eryx, “Eryx, always open to the west wind”).^[1][5]

Figuratively it is “visible to all, public”, of enemies “avowed”, of acts “undisguised”, of persons “frank, open-hearted” (Cicero: quem apertum et simplicem volumus esse, “whom we want to be open and straightforward”), and of facts “evident, obvious”, of crimes “flagrant”.^[1][5] Of speech and style it is “clear, lucid”.^[1][5] In Medieval Latin it also means “patent” and, of a fief, “vacant”.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: apertiōre magis viā.^[1][3]
• 234–149 BC – Cato: in locō apertō, celsō.^[1][3]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero: apertum et simplicem.^[1][3]
• 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid: zephyrō semper apertus Eryx.^[1][3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. open (of doors, buildings, places);^[1][5] roofless.^[1]
2. Uncovered, bare;^[1] exposed (to weather or attack).^[1][5]
3. Visible, public; avowed, undisguised.^[1][5]
4. frank, open-hearted.^[1][5]
5. Evident, obvious; flagrant.^[1][5]
6. Clear, lucid (of speech or style).^[1][5]
7. (Medieval Latin) Patent; vacant (of a fief).^[6]

Related words

• aperiō
• apertē
• operiō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon 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
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
6. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill