comicus

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈkoː.mɪ.kʊs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkɔː.mi.kus]^[1]

Forms

cōmicus (feminine cōmica, neuter cōmicum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek κωμικός (kōmikós, “of comedy”), from ⟨kōmōidía⟩ “comedy”.^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of comedy and of a comic actor.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[3]

Semantic evolution

As an adjective it meant of comedy, comic, and typical of comedy, as in Plautus, and Cicero has poēta cōmicus and adulēscēns cōmicus “a young man out of a comedy”.^[2][4][5] As a noun it meant a comic actor, as in Plautus, and a writer of comedies, as in Varro.^[2]

British Medieval Latin used it for comic and as a noun for a comedian or comic playwright, especially Terence.^[6] It gave English comic in the late 14th century, “of comedy as distinct from tragedy”.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[2][3]
• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of comic poets.^[2][3]
• late 14th century – English comic is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of comedy, comic.^[2]

Noun

1. A comic actor.^[2]
2. A comic poet.^[2]

Related words

• cōmoedia
• cōmoedus
• English comic
• English comedy

References

1. ^ a b c d 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 c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ 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
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com