auspicatus

Forms

auspicātus (feminine auspicāta, neuter auspicātum, comparative auspicātior, adverb auspicātō); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin auspicor (“to take the auspices”), its participle used as an adjective.^[2][1][3] De Vaan lists ⟨auspicārī⟩ with auspex (“augur”) among the derivatives of avis (“bird”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first example is Varro's die auspicato, a day approved by the auspices,^[2][5] though Köbler dates it from Catullus.^[6]

Semantic evolution

It first meant approved by augury, hallowed: Cicero has a place consecrated by the auspices, Livy assemblies held after the auspices were taken, and Seneca a marriage bed.^[2][7][8] From this it came to mean auspicious, fortunate or lucky:^[2][9] Catullus asks who ever saw a more auspicious love, Venerem auspicatiorem,^[2][5] Horace has attacks that were not auspicious, and Pliny the Elder uses the comparative of a tree.^[2][7] Quintilian says that among Roman writers Virgil would make the most auspicious beginning,^[2][3] and Pliny the Younger calls something the happiest of omens.^[8]

Ecclesiastical Latin kept the sense auspicious or happy.^[10]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro uses die auspicato, of a hallowed day.^[2][6]
• 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus uses the comparative of a happy love.^[2][6]
• 65–8 BC – Horace uses it of attacks that were not auspicious.^[2][6]
• c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses the superlative of a beginning.^[2][6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Approved by augury, hallowed, consecrated.^[2][8]
2. Auspicious, fortunate, lucky.^[2][9][10]

Word family

• auspicātō

Related words

• auspicor
• auspicium
• auspex

Usage notes

A separate fourth-declension noun auspicātus, -ūs, the taking of auspices, occurs in Pliny the Elder.^[9] Auspicatus is also found as a Roman cognomen in inscriptions.^[11]

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 l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier
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 Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
8. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
9. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
10. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
11. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften