bellipotens

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [bɛlˈlɪ.pɔ.tẽːs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [belˈliː.po.tens]^[1]

Forms

bellipotēns (genitive bellipotentis); third-declension one-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of bellum “war” and potēns “powerful”.^[2][3][1] De Vaan notes that ⟨bellum⟩ continues Old Latin duellum, disyllabic in Plautus.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its earliest source is Ennius' Annals, bellipotentēs sunt magis quam sapientipotentēs “they are mightier in war than in wisdom”.^[5][3][6] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

Poetic and rare, it meant mighty or valiant in war, as in Ennius, and as a noun the god of battle, Mars, as in Virgil.^[2][3][6]

British Medieval Latin used it for mighty in battle, as of King Edwin in Alcuin.^[7] English bellipotent is from it.^[1]

Timeline

• 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it.^[3][5]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of Mars.^[6][5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Mighty in war.^[2]

Noun

1. The god of war, Mars.^[6]

Related words

• bellum
• potēns
• belliger
• English bellipotent

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d 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 d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ 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