Etymologically
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expensa

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Forms

expēnsa f (genitive expēnsae); first declension[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Latin expendō (“to weigh out, pay out”): the feminine of its past participle ⟨expēnsus⟩, used as a noun with pecūnia (“money”) understood.[3][4] Niermeyer takes the medieval word as both a neuter plural and a feminine singular,[5] and Etymonline derives it from the neuter plural of the participle.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is post-classical.[3] The lawyers of the Digest use it for money paid out, an expense,[3][4][7] and Claudian writes that worthy expēnsae tire out the treasury.[3][2]

Semantic evolution

Sidonius Apollinaris still uses it for spending.[4] In Medieval Latin it meant an expense or outlay, then a compulsory supply of food, provisions themselves and a prebend;[5] Niermeyer derives German Speise from the sense “provisions”.[5] It is the source of Italian spesa,[4] and English expense (late 14th century) came through Anglo-French expense.[6]

Timeline

  • before 223 – Ulpian and the other jurists of the Digest use it.[7][3]
  • c. 431–486 – Sidonius Apollinaris uses it in his letters.[4][7]
  • late 14th century – English borrows it as expense.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Expenditure, an expense, outlay.[3][2][4][8]
  2. (Medieval Latin) A compulsory supply of food.[5]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Provisions, victuals.[5]
  4. (Medieval Latin) A prebend.[5]

Usage notes

Niermeyer records the shortened form spensa.[5]

References

  1. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  2. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  6. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson