epicus
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Pronunciation
Forms
epicus (feminine epica, neuter epicum); first/second-declension adjective[1]
Etymology
It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἐπικός (epikós, “epic”), from ἔπος (épos, “word, tale, epic verse”).[2][1][3][4]
Earliest recorded meaning
Köbler's first source is Cicero, whom he dates 81–43 BC, and Cicero calls Ennius an epicus poēta.[3][5]
Semantic evolution
It meant epic, of heroic poetry, as Cicero's epicus poēta and poēma, and Quintilian's carmen.[2][5] As a masculine plural noun it meant the epic poets, as in Quintilian.[2][6]
It was borrowed into Italian as epico and French épique, and through French or directly it gave English epic in the 1580s.[1][4]
Timeline
- 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of Ennius.[5][3]
- c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses it of the epic poets.[6][3]
- 1580s – English epic is recorded.[4]
Meanings
Adjective
- Epic; as a plural noun, the epic poets.[2]
Related words
- English epic
References
- ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.