columen

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈkɔ.ɫʊ.mɛn]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkɔː.lu.men]^[1]

Forms

columen n (genitive columinis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *kelamen-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *kelH-men- (“top, summit”).^[2][1] Cognate with Old Saxon holm (“hill”), Old English holm (“island”) and Old Norse holmr (“islet”).^[2] culmen “summit” is the same word, arising from the shorter oblique cases.^[2][3] The OLD and Gaffiot connect celsus “lofty” and excellō, and columna “column” is related, though de Vaan finds its formation hard to explain.^[4][5][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus, who accuses someone of stealing the crown of Jupiter that stands on the top of the Capitol.^[2][4] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[6]

Semantic evolution

It was the roof or top of a building, the ridgepole of a roof and the coping of a wall, as Vitruvius' list of roof timbers.^[4] Poets used it for a mountain summit.^[5] Figuratively it was the highest point, the zenith, and, of persons, the keystone of a group, as Plautus' “the pillar of the family” and Cicero's columen reī pūblicae “the prop of the state”.^[4][5] It was also the crowning ornament, as Curtius' “the jewel and star of Macedonia”.^[4]

Its derivative columna gave English column in the mid-15th century, and Late Latin culmināre gave English culminate.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus speaks of the top of the Capitol.^[4][6]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero calls a man the prop of the state.^[5][6]
• c. 84–c. 25 BC – Vitruvius uses it of the ridgepole.^[4][6]
• mid-15th century – English column is recorded, from columna.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. The roof, top (of a building); a summit.^[4][5]
2. The ridgepole of a roof; the coping of a wall.^[4]
3. (figurative) The highest point, peak.^[4]
4. (of a person) A mainstay, pillar.^[4][5]
5. The crowning ornament, jewel.^[4]

Word family

• columna

Related words

• *cellō
• collis
• culmen
• celsus
• English column
• English culminate

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d e f Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com