cumulate

Forms

cumulātē (comparative cumulātius, superlative cumulātissimē); adverb^[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Latin cumulātus + -ē,^[1][3] the participle of cumulō (“to heap up”), from cumulus (“heap”).^[4][5] De Vaan derives the noun from Proto-Italic *kumo- and Proto-Indo-European *ḱuh₁-mo- (“heap”), cognate with Ancient Greek κῦμα (kûma, “wave”), while noting that the short /u/ needs explaining.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler records it first in Cicero,^[4] who uses it in the Verrines and has the comparative cumulātius and the superlative cumulātissimē.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It is used of giving, thanking or repaying in full measure: Cicero worries that he may thank his hearers parum cumulātē, too sparingly for their services, and says that a friend has repaid him cumulātissimē.^[3][7] Pliny the Younger joins it with prōlixē, amply.^[3]

In the Medieval Latin of Hungary it came to mean greatly, very much,^[8] and in that of Poland also amply or zealously.^[9]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of thanking and repaying in full measure.^[2][4]
• 15th century – Polish Latin sources use it of acting zealously.^[9]
• 1523 – A Hungarian source has the superlative cumulātissimē, in very great measure.^[8]

Meanings

Adverb

1. Abundantly, copiously, in full measure.^[1][2]
2. (Medieval Latin) Greatly, very much; zealously.^[8][9]

Related words

• cumulātus
• cumulō
• cumulus

References

1. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
3. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier
6. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
7. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b c Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
9. ^ a b c Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl