deceptivus

Forms

dēceptīvus (feminine dēceptīva, neuter dēceptīvum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin dēcipiō (“to deceive”) + -īvus,^[1][2] on the stem of the past participle ⟨dēcept-⟩.^[2][3] dēcipiō is formed from dē- and capiō (“to take”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in Firmicus Maternus's Mathesis, meaning “apt to deceive”.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

It is a Late Latin word for what tends to deceive: Priscian uses it in grammar, and Boethius, in his translation of the Posterior Analytics, speaks of a deceptive syllogism.^[2] British medieval writers used it of deceptive errors and propositions; a sophistic argument is called deceptive reasoning.^[5]

English deceptive (1610s) came through French deceptif from Medieval Latin deceptivus.^[3]

Timeline

• 334–337 AD – Firmicus Maternus uses it in the Mathesis.^[2][4]
• 6th century AD – Priscian uses it in his grammar.^[2][4]
• 1610s – English deceptive appears, through French.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (Late Latin) Deceptive, apt to deceive, deceitful.^[2][1][5]

Related words

• decipio
• English deceptive

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b 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