contemptibilis

Forms

contemptibilis (neuter contemptibile); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin contemnō (“to despise”) + -bilis, on the stem of its past participle.^[2][3] De Vaan considers contemnō older than temnō, which was back-formed from it; the further etymology is disputed.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The jurist Ulpian, before 223 AD, uses it for something contemptible or of little account.^[5][6][7]

Semantic evolution

The TLL notes that it is found from the Old Latin Bible on and often in the church writers.^[3] It meant contemptible, worthless,^[2][6] and has a comparative contemptibilior,^[6][8] but the TLL found no superlative.^[3] Isidore of Seville explains it as fit to be despised, or despised and vile, that is, without honour.^[3][9]

In Medieval Latin it also meant not to be feared, negligible, and ordinary or mediocre,^[10] and in an active sense contemptuous.^[11][12] English borrowed it as contemptible.^[13]

Timeline

• before 223 AD – Ulpian uses it, in a passage preserved in the Digest.^[5][6][7]
• after 220 AD – The Old Latin Bible has it.^[3][7]
• 297–310 AD – Arnobius uses it.^[6][7]
• c. 560–636 AD – Isidore of Seville explains the word.^[3][7]
• 639–709 AD – Aldhelm uses it of a lower grade of chastity.^[12][7]
• late 14th century – English borrows it as contemptible.^[13]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Contemptible, worthless.^[2][6][14]
2. (Medieval Latin) Not to be feared, negligible.^[10][12]
3. (Medieval Latin) Ordinary, mediocre, mean.^[10]
4. (Medieval Latin) Contemptuous.^[11][12]

Word family

• contemptibilitas
• incontemptibilis

Related words

• English contemptible

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ 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 Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
8. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
9. ^ Isidore of Seville, Etymologiarum sive Originum libri XX, ed. W. M. Lindsay (Oxford, 1911).
10. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
11. ^ a b Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
12. ^ a b c d 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
13. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
14. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson