Etymologically
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facetia

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [faˈkeː.ti.a][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [faˈt͡ʃɛt.t͡si.a][1]

Forms

facētia f (genitive facētiae); first declension[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin facētus (“witty, elegant”) + -ia.[2][1] Etymonline calls facētus of unknown origin, perhaps related to facis “torch”, which de Vaan considers morphologically difficult.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus, in the Stichus, has a character say it is a fine joke for two rivals to love each other.[2][4] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It is mostly used in the plural facētiae; the singular is ante- and post-classical, in Plautus, Gellius and Apuleius.[2][4] Its first sense was cleverness, a clever act, as Plautus says someone's heart is full of tricks, and then cleverness of expression.[2] In Cicero it was wit, which he divides into two kinds, facētiae and dicācitās, and a joke or witticism.[2] Döderlein counts facētiae with lepos and fēstīvitās as harmless wit.[6]

In medieval Latin it also meant courtesy.[7] British writers used it of wittiness and witty remarks.[8] English facetious is recorded in the 1590s, through French facétie “a joke”.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses the singular of a joke.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses the plural of wit.[2][5]
  • c. 165 AD – Gellius uses the singular.[2][5]
  • 1590s – English facetious is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Cleverness; a clever act.[2]
  2. Wit, humour; a jest, witticism.[2][1]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Courtesy.[7]

Word family

  • facetior

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 j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  8. ^ 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