eiusmodi

Forms

eiusmodī (not comparable)^[1] It is usually written separately, eius modī, and sometimes scanned as three syllables.^[2] It is also spelled ejusmodī.^[1]

Etymology

It is eius (“of this, of that”), the genitive of is (“he, that”), with modī, the genitive of modus (“measure, manner”), “of that manner”.^[1][2][3] De Vaan derives ⟨is⟩ from Proto-Indo-European *(h₁)i- (“he, she, it”) and ⟨modus⟩ from Proto-Italic *medo- (“measure, judgement”) and Proto-Indo-European *med-o- (“measure”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler gives Terence as its first author,^[3] who has “who has to deal with characters of that kind” in the Andria.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It means of that kind or of such a kind, such, as Cicero's genus bellī est eius modī, “the nature of the war is such”, and also in such a manner.^[2][1]

Church Latin glosses it “of this sort, of such kind”, with et eiusmodī, and the like.^[5]

Timeline

• 190–159 BC – Terence.^[2][3]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of the nature of a war.^[2][3]

Meanings

Adverb

1. Of that kind, of such a kind, such;^[2][1][5] et eiusmodī, and the like.^[5]
2. In such a manner.^[1]

Related words

• is
• modus
• huiusmodī
• cuiusmodī
• tālis

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 Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d 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
5. ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson