Etymologically
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audacter

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Forms

audācter (comparative audācius, superlative audācissimē)[1] The fuller form audāciter is used by Cicero, Sallust and Livy.[2]

Etymology

It is from Latin audāx (“bold”) + -ter.[1][2] The adjective audāx is from audeō (“to dare”), which de Vaan derives from avidus (“greedy”): the verb at first meant “to want very much”, as the polite ⟨sōdēs⟩ “if you please”, from ⟨*sī audēs⟩, still shows in Plautus.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first examples in the OLD are Plautus' “they would commit their crimes less boldly” and Ennius' friend to whom a man could speak boldly of great and small matters.[2]

Semantic evolution

It means boldly, courageously or confidently, and in a bad sense audaciously, impudently or rashly.[2][4] Cicero uses it of bold licence in speech, as of a daring metaphor.[2][5] Church Latin glosses it “boldly”.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of crimes committed boldly.[2][7]
  • 204–169 BC – Ennius of speaking with confidence.[2][7]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of bold language.[2][7]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. Boldly, courageously, confidently.[2][4][1]
  2. Audaciously, impudently, rashly.[2][1]
  3. With boldness of speech, daringly.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  4. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de