excessivus
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Pronunciation
Forms
excessīvus (feminine excessīva, neuter excessīvum); first/second-declension adjective[1]
Etymology
It is formed in Medieval Latin, from Latin excēdō (“to go beyond, surpass”) + -īvus,[1] on the stem of the past participle ⟨excess-⟩.[2]
Earliest recorded meaning
It is found in the 13th century in Albertus Magnus, meaning immoderate, excessive, also as a noun for an intemperate person.[3][4]
Semantic evolution
British writers used it of anything very great: a long famine, a sudden cold winter, a large number of soldiers, a great weight.[5] The adverb excessīvē meant “excessively” and, in Albertus Magnus, “by way of excess”.[3] The French form excessif passed into English as excessive in the late 14th century.[2][1]
Timeline
- 13th century – Albertus Magnus uses it of intemperate people.[3][4]
- late 14th century – English borrows excessive from Old French.[2]
- 1388 – A British record speaks of an excessive weight.[5]
Meanings
Adjective
- (Medieval Latin) Excessive, immoderate.[6][3][5]
- (Medieval Latin) Very great (of a force of nature, a number, a weight).[5]
Related words
- English excessive
References
- ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
- ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ a b c d 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
- ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill