euge

Forms

euge (interjection)^[2][3] Plautus and Terence often lengthen the final syllable, and some manuscripts and editions spell it eugae.^[2][4][3] Medieval manuscripts also have ewge.^[5]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek εὖγε (eûge, “well done!”).^[2][3][1][6] The Greek word combines εὖ (eû, “well”) with the particle γε (ge).^[1][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Plautus on and is frequent in Plautus and Terence.^[6][3] In the Rudens euge, euge, perbene, “bravo, bravo, very good”, greets a wave that turns a boat away from the rock towards the shore.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It expresses delight, pleasant surprise or applause, “good! fine! bravo!”,^[2][3] and is often ironic, as euge, optime in Plautus and Terence.^[2][3] Persius and Martial use it as an indeclinable neuter noun, a cry of “bravo”: euge tuum et belle, your “bravo” and “lovely”.^[3][7] The Vulgate has it in the Psalms and in Matthew, where euge, well done, is said to the good servant;^[3][7] medieval writers echo that phrase, and the MLW records both the plain and the ironic use.^[5] In Britain Aldhelm writes euax eugeque, and the word was used as a noun for approval.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it often, plainly and ironically.^[3][6]
• 190–159 BC – Terence.^[3][4][6]
• 34–62 AD – Persius uses it as a noun.^[3][6]
• 390–406 AD – The Vulgate has it in the Psalms and Matthew.^[3][6]
• 639–709 AD – Aldhelm uses it in a letter.^[8][6]

Meanings

Interjection

1. Well done! good! bravo! (expressing delight or approval).^[2][3][9]
2. (ironic) Fine! excellent!^[2][3][5]

Noun

1. (indeclinable) A cry of “bravo”, applause, approval.^[3][7][8]

Related words

• eugepae
• papae

Usage notes

Plautus also has the stronger eugepae, which Lewis & Short explain as euge combined with papae.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b c Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
8. ^ a b c Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
9. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson