desperatus

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [deːs.peːˈraː.tʊs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [des.peˈraː.tus]^[1]

Forms

dēspērātus (feminine dēspērāta, neuter dēspērātum, comparative dēspērātior, superlative dēspērātissimus); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is the perfect passive participle of dēspērō “to despair”, from dē- and spērō “to hope”, used as an adjective.^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Cicero, of what affords no hope.^[2] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant affording little hope, desperate, hopeless, as Cicero's dēspērātī morbī “hopeless diseases”, and in Nepos of persons in a desperate state or desperately ill.^[2][5] In Cicero it also meant reckless from despair.^[2]

It was borrowed into Italian as disperato and Spanish desperado, and English desperate came about 1400, first of persons, “despairing”.^[1][3]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of hopeless diseases.^[5][4]
• c. 100–24 BC – Nepos uses it of persons in despair.^[2][4]
• c. 1400 – English desperate is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Hopeless, desperate; desperately ill.^[2]
2. Reckless from despair.^[2]

Related words

• dēspērō
• spēs
• English desperate
• English desperado

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c 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 Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.