cupiens

Forms

cupiēns (genitive cupientis, comparative cupientior, superlative cupientissimus); third-declension one-termination adjective^[1][2]

Etymology

It is the present participle of cupiō (“to desire”), used as an adjective.^[1][3][4] De Vaan traces that verb to Proto-Italic *kup-i- and Proto-Indo-European *kup-(e)i- (“to tremble, desire”), and compares Sanskrit कुप्यति (kupyati) and Lithuanian kūpė́ti (“to simmer, boil”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler records it first in Plautus,^[6] who uses it with a genitive of the person or thing desired, as nuptiarum “of marriage” and tui “of you”.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It means desirous, eager, anxious,^[1] usually with a genitive: Ennius has cupientes regni, “eager to reign”,^[2][4] and Tacitus liberorum, bonarum artium and novarum rerum.^[4] Georges notes that it can have the bad sense of lusting after something.^[4] Sallust has the superlative in cupientissuma plebe consul factus, “he was made consul with the people most eager for it”.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it with the genitive of what is desired.^[4][6]
• 204–169 BC – Ennius writes cupientes regni.^[2][6]
• 86–34 BC – Sallust uses the superlative cupientissuma.^[2][6]
• 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses it of desire for children and for political change.^[4][6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Desirous, eager, anxious, usually with the genitive.^[1][4]
2. Lusting after something.^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b c d e Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
3. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de