Etymologically
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calumnior

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [kaˈɫʊm.ni.ɔr][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [kaˈlum.ni.or][1]

Forms

calumnior (present infinitive calumniārī, perfect active calumniātus sum); first conjugation, deponent[1]

Etymology

It is from calumnia “trickery, false accusation” with the verb suffix -or.[2][1][3][4] The old spelling is ⟨kalumnior⟩, and an active ⟨calumniō⟩ is found in the Itala.[5][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from the Rhetorica ad Herennium, of bringing false accusations.[2] Köbler dates it 86/82 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to bring false accusations, as in the Rhetorica ad Herennium and Cicero, as a means of obstruction, and to use legal chicanery.[2][7] In Ulpian it meant to accuse falsely.[2] In Livy it meant to misrepresent, and in Cicero to criticize unfairly, find fault, and to be too hard on oneself.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to calumniate, oppress, accuse falsely, slander.[8] Its participle gave English calumniate in the 1550s, and through Vulgar Latin *calumniāre and Old French chalongier it gave its doublet English challenge.[4]

Timeline

  • 86/82 BC – The Rhetorica ad Herennium uses it of false accusation.[2][6]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of legal chicanery.[2][6]
  • before 223 AD – Ulpian uses it of accusing falsely.[2][6]
  • 1550s – English calumniate is recorded.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To bring false accusations; to use legal chicanery.[2]
  2. To accuse falsely.[2]
  3. To misrepresent.[2]
  4. To criticize unfairly, cavil at.[2]

Word family

  • calumniātor
  • calumnia
  • calumniātrīx
  • calumniōsē
  • calumniōsus
  • calvor
  • English calumniate
  • English challenge

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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson