Etymologically
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evidens

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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]

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