Etymologically
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denique

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈdeː.nɪ.kʷɛ][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈdɛː.ni.kʷe][1]

Forms

dēnique (not comparable)[1]

Etymology

The OLD derives it from ⟨*dene-que⟩: dē with the adverbial ending ⟨-ne⟩ (as in pōne and supernē) and the particle -que.[2] Lewis and Short call the origin doubtful and suggest a locative ⟨dēnĭ⟩ of ⟨dē⟩ with ⟨que⟩.[3] Compare dēmum “at length”.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Ennius;[4] Plautus has experīrī quō ēvāsūrust dēnique, “to find out how he will turn out in the end”.[2]

Semantic evolution

Its original sense is “and then, thereupon”.[3][1] In the classical language it means “finally, at last, in the end”, and in an argument “lastly”; summing up, it means “in short”.[2] Of an extreme case it means “even, if it comes to that” (pēierābō dēnique “I will even perjure myself”), and in Apuleius “in point of fact, indeed”.[2]

In Medieval Latin it also meant “accordingly”, “because” and “for example”.[5]

Timeline

  • 204–169 BC – First found in Ennius.[4]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: pernegābō atque obdūrābō, pēierābō dēnique, “I will deny it, hold out, and even perjure myself”.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero: orbis dēnique terrārum, “in short, the whole world”.[2][4]
  • c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius uses it for “indeed”.[2][4]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. (early) And then, thereupon.[3][1]
  2. finally, at last, in the end.[2][3]
  3. (in argument) Lastly.[2]
  4. In short, to sum up.[2][6]
  5. Even, if it comes to that.[2]
  6. In point of fact, indeed.[2]
  7. (Medieval Latin) Accordingly;[5] because;[5] for example.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  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 d Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson