dives

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈdiː.wɛs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈdiː.ves]^[1]

Forms

dīves (genitive dīvitis, comparative dīvitior, superlative dīvitissimus); third-declension one-termination adjective (non-i-stem)^[1]

Etymology

De Vaan takes it as derived from dīvus (“god”), as *deiw-(o/e)t- “who is like or protected by the gods”.^[2][1][3] The TLL calls the origin uncertain unless it comes from dīvus or deus, comparing Old Church Slavonic богатъ (bogatŭ, “rich”) from Old Church Slavonic богъ (bogŭ, “god”).^[4] The OLD compares Ancient Greek εὐδαίμων (eudaímōn, “happy, wealthy”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus, who speaks of a rich merchant.^[3] Terence has the contracted form dīs.^[2][3] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant rich or wealthy, of people, of lands rich in wealth or produce, and with a genitive or ablative rich in something, as in Virgil's dīves pecoris “rich in flocks”.^[3] It was used of rich qualities and of precious or sumptuous things.^[3] Cicero calls Crassus dīves both by his cognomen and by his wealth.^[6] The older inflection was dīves, dītis, and the contracted dīs and dītior were common.^[2]

Döderlein contrasts dīvitiae, wealth in general, with opēs, wealth as a means of power.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus speaks of a rich merchant.^[3][5]
• 190–159 BC – Terence uses the contracted dīs.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero calls Crassus rich.^[6][5]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil has dīves pecoris.^[3][5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. rich, wealthy.^[3]
2. (of land) Rich, fertile.^[3]
3. Rich (in), abounding (in).^[3]
4. Precious, sumptuous.^[3]

Noun

1. A rich man.^[3][1]

Related words

• deus
• dīvus
• dīvitiae

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper