armipotens

Forms

armipotēns (genitive armipotentis); third-declension one-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin arma (“arms, weapons”) + potēns (“powerful”), with the connecting vowel ⟨-i-⟩.^[2][3][1] De Vaan derives arma from Proto-Indo-European *h₂(e)r-mo- (“fitting”), from the root meaning “to join”, the sense having moved from “what is fitted together” or “tools” to “weapons”.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLL and Georges record it first in a tragedy of Accius, as an epithet of Minerva.^[5][6][7] Lucretius then calls Mars Mavors armipotens.^[3][5][7]

Semantic evolution

It is a poetic epithet meaning strong in war, valiant.^[2][3] Mars is deus or pater armipotens and Minerva diva armipotens in Virgil, who also gives it to Deiphobus and Achilles.^[2][3][6] Ovid and Valerius Flaccus use it on its own as a name for Mars.^[2] Statius applies it to Ausonia, Claudian to a general and a father, and the Digest to Syria.^[3][6] In medieval British sources it is still used of warrior kings: an epitaph quoted by Bede calls Caedual armipotens, and Henry of Huntingdon addresses armipotens Alfrede.^[8]

Timeline

• 170–c. 90 BC – Accius uses it of Minerva.^[5][6][7]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius calls Mars Mavors armipotens.^[3][7]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of Mars, Minerva and heroes.^[2][3][7]
• 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid uses it as a noun for Mars.^[2][7]
• 533 AD – The Digest calls Syria armipotens.^[3][7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Strong in war, valiant, warlike; an epithet of Mars and Minerva.^[2][3]
2. (as a noun) Mars.^[2][9]

Word family

• armipotentia

Related words

• arma
• potēns

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ 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 Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
6. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
7. ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
8. ^ 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
9. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.