evidens

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈeː.wɪ.dẽːs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈɛː.vi.dens]^[1]

Forms

ēvidēns (genitive ēvidentis, superlative ēvidentissimus, adverb ēvidenter); third-declension one-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from ex- and the present participle of videō “to see”, in the sense of ⟨vidērī⟩ “to appear”.^[2][1][3] The ablative singular is ⟨-ī⟩.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Cicero, whom he dates 81–43 BC, and the OLD's earliest citation for what is clear to the mind is from Cicero.^[4][2]

Semantic evolution

It meant perceptible to the senses, visible, as in Celsus and Pliny's flōs nōn ēvidēns “a flower not visible”.^[2][5] From Cicero it meant clear, obvious, evident to the mind, and Lewis and Short call it good prose, most frequent after Augustus.^[2][6] In Suetonius it meant of actions open, unconcealed.^[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant apparent, visible, manifest.^[7] English evident came in the late 14th century through Old French and directly from Latin, while Late Latin ēvidentia “proof” gave English evidence.^[8]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of the obvious.^[2][4]
• 14–37 AD – Celsus uses it of the perceptible.^[2][4]
• c. 75–c. 150 AD – Suetonius uses it of open actions.^[2][4]
• late 14th century – English evident is recorded.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Perceptible, visible.^[2]
2. Clear, obvious, evident.^[2]
3. Open, unconcealed.^[2]

Related words

• videō
• ēvidentia
• English evident
• English evidence

References

1. ^ a b c d 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 Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com