cis

Forms

cis (+ accusative)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *ki (“here, by”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ḱi (“this here”), a variant of the pronoun stem *ḱe that Latin also has in -ce.^[2][3] De Vaan thinks the final ⟨-s⟩ may be analogical, after ⟨abs⟩, ⟨usque⟩ and ⟨ex⟩, so that the old word remained in use until fairly late and shifted from a pronoun to a preposition.^[2] Cognate with Umbrian çimu (“back”), Hittite kā- (“this”), Lithuanian šìs (“this”) and Gothic 𐌷𐌹𐌼𐌼𐌰 (himma, “to this”).^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler record it first in Plautus,^[2][4] who uses it of time: cis herclē paucās tempestātēs, “within a few seasons, by Hercules”.^[3][5]

Semantic evolution

In space it means on this side of, the opposite of ⟨uls⟩, ultrā and trāns.^[6] Cato speaks of the Gallic land quī virītim cis Arīminum datus est, “which was given out to individuals on this side of Ariminum”,^[3] and Caesar of Germans quī cis Rhēnum incolunt, “who live on this side of the Rhine”.^[6][7] With verbs of motion it means to this side of, as in Varro's cis Tiberim redeundum est, “we must go back across the Tiber”.^[3][6] Lewis & Short note that it is far rarer than citrā, and that the sense “within” in time is found only in Plautus, always with paucī, and in post-classical writers such as Aurelius Victor.^[6][5] It formed compounds such as Cisalpīnus and Cisrhēnānus.^[5][8] Medieval writers used it of place and motion, in the sense “before, near”, and sometimes, by confusion, for “beyond”.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of time.^[3][4]
• 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of the land on this side of Ariminum.^[3][4]
• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it with a verb of motion.^[3][6][4]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar has cis Rhēnum.^[6][7][4]
• 899 – A Freising charter has cis Cumīnōs montēs.^[8]

Meanings

Preposition

1. (with accusative, of time) within, before.^[3][6]
2. (of place) On this side of, on the near side of.^[3][6]
3. (of motion) To this side of, across.^[3]
4. (Medieval Latin) Before, near; by confusion, beyond.^[8]

Word family

• cisalpīnus
• cismontānus
• Cisrhenānus
• citer
• citerior
• citimus
• citrā
• citrō

Related words

• hic
• ecce
• uls

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b c d Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften