defectivus

Forms

dēfectīvus (feminine dēfectīva, neuter dēfectīvum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin dēficiō (“to fail, be wanting”), formed on its past participle dēfectus with the suffix -īvus.^[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tertullian uses it in Against the Valentinians of an imperfect, abortive offspring (defectiva et abortiva genitura).^[3][5]

Semantic evolution

It was a technical word in several fields: grammarians from Charisius on called nouns and verbs that lack some of their forms defectiva;^[3][2] Caelius Aurelianus calls an intermittent fever defectiva febris;^[3][4] and Ammianus uses it of eclipses, rendering the Greek astronomical term.^[4][6] Augustine has it in the general sense “imperfect” in the Confessions.^[6]

In medieval Latin it kept the senses failing, inadequate and imperfect, and was used in grammar, philosophy and theology;^[7][8] it also meant frail or short-lived,^[7] and in law it described a judge or lord who refused justice to a vassal, or a person who broke their word.^[9][10] Italian difettivo comes from it.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian uses it of an imperfect offspring.^[3][11]
• c. 362 AD – Charisius uses it of defective nouns.^[3][11]
• c. 390 AD – Ammianus uses it of eclipses.^[4][6][11]
• 354–430 AD – Augustine uses it for “imperfect”.^[6][11]
• 5th century AD – Caelius Aurelianus speaks of an intermittent fever.^[3][11]
• 1371 – A charter in the Codex diplomaticus of Croatia uses it of harmful burdens.^[12]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Imperfect, defective, faulty.^[3][5][6]
2. (grammar) Of nouns and verbs: lacking some forms.^[3][2][5]
3. (astronomy) Relating to eclipses.^[4][6][13]
4. (medicine) Of a fever: intermittent.^[3][4]
5. (Medieval Latin) Frail, short-lived.^[7]
6. (Medieval Latin, law) Of a judge or lord: refusing justice.^[9][10]
7. (Medieval Latin) Breaking one's word.^[9]

Related words

• dēfectus
• dēfector
• dēficiō

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e f Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
5. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b c d e f g Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
8. ^ 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
9. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
10. ^ a b du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
11. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
12. ^ Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
13. ^ VoLat: Vocabolario della Lingua Latina (2018), Milan: Hoepli