Etymologically
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deintus

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Forms

dēintus (also written as two words, dē intus)[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Latin dē (“from”) + intus (“inside”).[3][1] The TLL and Wiktionary give it as the source of French dans (“in”),[3][1] and of Catalan dins and Old French denz.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first text is the Old Latin Bible (Itala), in Exodus, where it renders a Greek adverb “from within” and is set against dēforīs.[3][4]

Semantic evolution

As an adverb it means “from within, inside”: Vegetius uses it in his veterinary work,[5][6] and the Vulgate has it in Luke (11:7, 11:40), where it is opposed to dēforīs.[7][8] Wiktionary calls it a proscribed Late Latin word.[1]

Medieval writers also use it as a preposition, “in, within”,[9][2] and figuratively for what comes “from the heart”.[2] Bede has it of speaking with visitors from inside, through a window.[10]

Timeline

  • after 220 AD – The Itala, Exodus: “from within”.[3][4]
  • c. 400 AD – Vegetius, Mulomedicina.[5][4]
  • 390–406 AD – The Vulgate, Luke 11:7 and 11:40.[7][4]
  • early 8th century – Bede, Life of Cuthbert.[10][4]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. (Late Latin) From within, from inside.[7][5][1]
  2. (Late Latin) inside, within, on the inside.[6][10]
  3. (Medieval Latin) From the heart, from inner conviction.[2]

Preposition

  1. (Medieval Latin) in, within.[9][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  3. ^ a b c d Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  9. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  10. ^ a b c 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