egregie

Forms

ēgregiē (comparative ēgregius, superlative ēgregissimē)^[1] The OLD finds the comparative ēgregius perhaps only in Juvenal.^[2]

Etymology

It is formed from ēgregius (“outstanding, excellent”) with the adverbial suffix -ē.^[2][1][3] De Vaan explains ⟨ēgregius⟩ from a phrase ⟨*ē grege⟩ “out of the herd”, with grex (“flock, herd”), from Proto-Italic *gwreg- and Proto-Indo-European *gwreg- (“group, herd”), cognate with Ancient Greek γάργαρα (gárgara, “heaps, crowds”) and Lithuanian gùrguolė (“heap”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Ennius' Annals have “a man of outstanding good sense”;^[2] Köbler's first source is Terence.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It means “to an outstanding degree, remarkably”, with verbs, as Terence's young man who was keen on nothing above all else, and with adjectives of praise, as in Ennius.^[2] It also means “admirably well, excellently”, as Cicero's Hercules finely made in bronze.^[2][1]

Timeline

• 204–169 BC – Ennius of an outstandingly wise man.^[2][3]
• 190–159 BC – Terence.^[2][3]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of a finely made statue.^[2][3]
• c. 67–c. 127 AD – Juvenal has the comparative.^[2][3]

Meanings

Adverb

1. Excellently, admirably well.^[2][1]
2. To an outstanding degree, remarkably, exceptionally.^[2][1]

Related words

• ēgregius
• grex

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g 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. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill