criticus

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈkrɪ.tɪ.kʊs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkriː.ti.kus]^[1]

Forms

criticus (feminine critica, neuter criticum, adverb criticē); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek κριτικός (kritikós, “able to judge, critical”).^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source for the noun is Cicero, whom he dates 81–43 BC.^[3]

Semantic evolution

As a noun it meant a literary critic, a judge of literary works.^[2][4] As an adjective Lewis & Short find it only as a medical term, critical, of the crisis of a disease, as in Augustine.^[5][4]

British Medieval Latin used it in medicine of the critical day of a fever.^[6] It survives in Italian critico and French critique, and through French critique it gave English critic in the 1580s, “one who passes judgment”, whence English critical.^[1][7]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses the noun.^[3]
• 354–430 AD – Augustine uses it as a medical term.^[4][3]
• 1580s – English critic is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A literary critic.^[2]

Adjective

1. (medicine) Critical, of the crisis of a disease.^[5]

Word family

• critica

Related words

• crisis
• English critic
• English critical

References

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