Etymologically
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controversialis

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Forms

contrōversiālis (neuter contrōversiāle); third-declension two-termination adjective[1][2][3] Köbler also records ⟨contrōversālis⟩.[3]

Etymology

It is from Latin contrōversia (“dispute, controversy”) + -ālis.[4][2][1][5] Köbler refers it further to contrōversus (“turned against”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first source is the land surveyor Agennius Urbicus, who, citing Frontinus, speaks of a disputed matter.[4][3]

Semantic evolution

Sidonius uses it of the genre of rhetorical disputes: he praises a man as strong and muscular in controversial matter, careful and biting in satire.[4][2][1] In Medieval Latin it meant in dispute or contentious:[6][7][8] the annals attributed to Berthold speak of a disputing speech held on both sides,[6] and Polish records of the 16th century speak of a disputed case.[8] English controversial, “debatable, disputed”, came from it in the 1580s.[5]

Timeline

  • 4th/5th century AD – Agennius Urbicus uses it of a disputed matter.[4][3]
  • c. 431–486 AD – Sidonius uses it of rhetorical disputes.[4][2][3]
  • 1079 – The annals of Berthold speak of a disputing speech.[6][3]
  • 1534 – A Cracow record speaks of a case in dispute.[8]
  • 1580s – English controversial “disputed” is recorded.[5]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (Late Latin) Of or belonging to a controversy or dispute; disputed.[4][2][1][9][3]
  2. (Medieval Latin) In dispute, contentious;[6][7][8] causa contrōversiālis: a case in dispute.[6][7][8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  2. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c d e f Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c d e Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  7. ^ a b c Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
  8. ^ a b c d e Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
  9. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.