canorus

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [kaˈnoː.rʊs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [kaˈnɔː.rus]^[1]

Forms

canōrus (feminine canōra, neuter canōrum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin canor (“song, melody”) + -us, from canō “to sing”.^[2][1][3] De Vaan traces ⟨canō⟩ to Proto-Italic *kan-e-, Proto-Indo-European *kh₂n-e- (“to sing”), cognate with Umbrian ⟨kanetu⟩ and Old Irish cainid (“sings”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is Plautus, of a ringing voice.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant resonant, sonorous; of birds and other creatures songful, vocal, as in Cicero; of the speaking voice resonant, ringing, as in Plautus and Cicero's vōx canōra; and of poetry tuneful, melodious, as in Horace.^[2][5]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it means melodious, harmonious.^[6] It survives as Italian, Spanish and Portuguese canoro, and English canorous is from it.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of a voice.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero has vōx canōra.^[5][4]
• 65–8 BC – Horace uses it of poetry.^[2][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Resonant, sonorous.^[2]
2. Songful, vocal (of birds).^[2]
3. Ringing, loud (of a voice).^[2]
4. Melodious, tuneful.^[2][7]

Related words

• canor
• canō
• cantus
• English canorous

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b 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 c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press