diligenter

Forms

dīligenter (comparative dīligentius, superlative dīligentissimē)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin dīligēns (“careful, attentive”) + -ter, the adverb of that adjective,^[2][1] which is the present participle of dīligō (“to esteem, love”).^[1] The OLD and Wiktionary analyse dīligō as ⟨dis-⟩ + legō (“to choose, gather”);^[2][1] de Vaan sees no need to connect it with any verb other than “to gather”, which he derives from Proto-Italic *leg-e- and Proto-Indo-European *leǵ-e/o- (“to collect”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus has ut hoc … accūrātē agātur, doctē et dīligenter, “so that this may be done with care, skill and diligence”.^[2] Terence has cūrāte istam dīligenter virginem, “take good care of that girl”.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Dīligenter is “carefully, attentively, scrupulously”, the ordinary sense through Classical Latin.^[2][5][1] From Martial on it can also mean “thoroughly, completely, well” (ō quam … dīligenter errās!, “oh, how thoroughly mistaken you are!”).^[2]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: doctē et dīligenter.^[2][4]
• 190–159 BC – Terence: cūrāte istam dīligenter virginem.^[2][4]
• 40–102/103 AD – Martial: ō quam … dīligenter errās!.^[2][4]

Meanings

Adverb

1. carefully, attentively, diligently, scrupulously.^[2][5][1]
2. Thoroughly, completely, well.^[2]

Related words

• dīligēns
• dīligentia
• dīligō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press