Etymologically
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audacia

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [au̯ˈdaː.ki.a][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [au̯ˈdaː.t͡ʃi.a][1]

Forms

audācia f (genitive audāciae); first declension[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin audāx (“bold, daring”) + -ia.[2][1] audāx is from audeō (“to dare”),[3] which de Vaan derives from avidus (“greedy”): it first meant “to want very much”, as the relic ⟨sōdēs⟩ “if you please”, from ⟨*sī audēs⟩, shows in Plautus, and later “to dare”.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Plautus,[3] who speaks of a man quoi nūlla in pectore est audācia, “who has no courage in his heart”.[2]

Semantic evolution

In a good sense audācia is “daring, boldness, confidence”, a bold act, and with a genitive a bold resolve;[2][5] Sallust has Cato say that boldness in wrongdoing is called courage.[2][5] L&S note that it is more often used in a bad sense: “audacity, impudence, recklessness, rashness”, as in Terence's audāciam meretrīcum spectā, “look at the effrontery of these courtesans”, and a piece of impudence (Plautus: quae istaec audāciast?, “what impudence is this?”).[2][5][1] Celsus uses it of the violent conduct of the insane.[2] Of style and words it is boldness, licence (Ovid: sī verbīs audācia dētur, “if words may be allowed some boldness”).[2]

Church Latin glosses it “boldness, bravery, courage, valour”.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: nūlla in pectore est audācia;[2][3] quae istaec audāciast?.[2][3]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence: audāciam meretrīcum spectā.[2][3]
  • 86–34 BC – Sallust uses it in the good and the bad sense.[2][5][3]
  • 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid uses it of boldness in words.[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Daring, boldness, courage; a bold act.[2][5][1][6]
  2. audacity, impudence, recklessness, rashness; a piece of impudence.[2][5][1]
  3. Violent conduct (of the insane).[2]
  4. Boldness, licence (of words or style).[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g 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 c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  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 d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson