experientia

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ɛk.spɛ.riˈɛn.ti.a]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ek.spe.riˈɛn.t͡si.a]^[1]

Forms

experientia f (genitive experientiae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from experiēns, the present participle of experior “to try, test”, with the suffix -ia.^[2][1][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Varro, of trying possibilities, as his experientiā temptāre “to test by trial”.^[2][5] Köbler dates Varro 116–27 BC.^[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant the testing of possibilities, trial, experiment, effort, as Varro and Cicero's patrimōniī amplificandī experientia “efforts to increase one's estate”.^[2][7] It meant the experiencing of events, and in Virgil skill gained by practice, experience.^[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant an experiment, test, trial, proof, experience.^[8] British Medieval Latin used it for an experiment, testing.^[9] It survives in Italian esperienza and French expérience, and Old French esperience gave English experience in the late 14th century, “observation as the source of knowledge”.^[1][4]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of testing.^[2][6]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of effort.^[7][6]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of skill.^[2][6]
• late 14th century – English experience is recorded.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. Trial, experiment; effort.^[2]
2. The experiencing of events.^[2]
3. Skill from practice, experience.^[2]

Word family

• inexperientia

Related words

• experior
• experīmentum
• perītus
• English experience

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
9. ^ 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