ceterus

Forms

cēterus (feminine cētera, neuter cēterum); first/second-declension adjective^[1] It is also spelled caeterus.^[2][3] The masculine nominative singular is not in use, and the singular is rare;^[3] Cicero has it perhaps three times.^[3]

Etymology

De Vaan explains it as a compound of the particle -ce “here”, prefixed as in cedo “give here”, and Proto-Italic *etero- (“other”).^[4][2][1] The latter is a PIE adjective of comparison Proto-Indo-European *h₁e-tero- (“the other (of two)”), formed from the pronoun ⟨*h₁e-⟩ “this”.^[4]

Compare Umbrian etru (“other, second”), Avestan atāra- (“this one (of two)”) and Albanian jetër (“other”).^[4] Köbler compares Ancient Greek ἕτερος (héteros, “other”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Plautus on:^[4][5] ubi convīvae cēterī? “where are the other guests?”^[2]

Semantic evolution

Cēterus means “the rest of, the other”, mostly in the plural (cēterī “the others”), and in the singular with collective nouns (pecus cēterum “the rest of the flock”).^[2][3] The neuter plural cētera is “everything else”, also used as an adverb, “in other respects”.^[2]

The neuter singular cēterum is “the rest”, and is common as an adverb;^[2] dē cēterō means “for the rest” and also “for the future”.^[2] Familiar phrases are et cētera “and the rest” and cēterīs paribus “other things being equal”.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – First found in Plautus: vōs cēterī īte hūc ad nōs, “the rest of you, come here to us”.^[2][4][5]
• 234–149 BC – Cato: nē commisceās cum cēterō vīnō, “do not mix it with the rest of the wine”.^[2][5]
• 190–159 BC – Terence: intus cētera, “the rest inside”.^[2][5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. The rest of, the remaining, the other.^[2][3][1][6]

Pronoun

1. (plural) The others, the rest;^[2] cētera, everything else.^[2]
2. (neuter singular) The rest;^[2] dē cēterō, for the rest; for the future.^[2]
3. (neuter plural as adverb) In other respects.^[2]

Word family

• cēterōquī
• cēterum

Related words

• alter
• reliquus

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e 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 Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson