Etymologically
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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈka.reː], [ˈkaː.rɛ][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈkaː.re], [ˈkaː.re][1]

Forms

cārē (comparative cārius, superlative cārissimē)[2]

Etymology

It is from Latin cārus (“dear”) + -ē.[2][3] De Vaan traces cārus to Proto-Italic *kāro- (“dear”) and Proto-Indo-European *keh₂-ro- (“desired, desirable”).[4] Cognate with Faliscan karai (“dear”), Latvian kãrs (“lustful”) and Old Irish carae (“friend”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Cato,[3] who has buying horses at a higher price than cooks, equos carius quam coquos emere.[5]

Semantic evolution

Its proper sense is “at a high price”, of buying and selling: Varro has buying dear and being sold dear, and Lucilius things that cost more.[5] It also means “at a high value”: Plancus writes to Cicero that his merits were rated too highly out of affection.[2][5] Figuratively it is “at a great cost or sacrifice”, as in the elder Seneca.[2] British medieval texts keep “dearly, at a high price”, and also use it for “earnestly, warmly” in letters of request.[6]

Timeline

  • 234–149 BC – Cato, of buying horses dear.[5][3]
  • 116–27 BC – Varro, of buying and selling.[5][3]
  • 1294 – In a Gascon letter, “as earnestly as we can”.[6]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. At a high price, dear, dearly.[2][5][1]
  2. At a high value.[2][5]
  3. (figurative) At a great cost or sacrifice.[2]
  4. (Medieval Latin) Earnestly, warmly.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  6. ^ a b c 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