congiarium

Forms

congiārium n (genitive congiāriī or congiārī); second declension^[1] Augustus' Res Gestae has the genitive congiārī, and the Notae Tironianae the form condiārium.^[2]

Etymology

It is the neuter of congiārius (“of a congius”), used as a noun, from congius, a liquid measure of six sextarii.^[3][1] The OLD compares Ancient Greek κόγχος (kónkhos, “mussel shell”), and Wiktionary derives congius from κογχίον (konkhíon).^[3][1] Isidore wrote that the money given as a favour was called by this name after the measure, because each emperor tried to win the people's favour by being more generous.^[4][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Varro.^[5] The OLD's first example is Cicero's Philippics, of a man who had won over the ignorant crowd with shows, monuments, largesses and banquets.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Originally it was a congius of oil, wine or other goods given as a gift, and then a gift of money distributed to the people, as Tacitus' Dialogue speaks of the most recent distribution of largess.^[3][6] In a letter Cicero uses it of any gift or donation, of someone's greed and hope of a big present.^[3] The jurist Paulus uses it of a vessel holding one congius.^[3][1]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it.^[5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of largesses to the crowd and of a gift.^[3][5]
• 98–115 AD – Tacitus of a distribution of largess.^[3][5]
• first half of the 3rd century AD – Paulus of a vessel holding one congius.^[3][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A gift of oil, wine or money, originally one congius, distributed to the people; a largess.^[3][6][1]
2. A gift, donation.^[3]
3. A vessel holding one congius.^[3][1]

Related words

• congius

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ 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
4. ^ Isidore of Seville, Etymologiarum sive Originum libri XX, ed. W. M. Lindsay (Oxford, 1911).
5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press