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facilitas

Etymology and origin of the Latin word facilitas

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Terence
Ultimate origin
Latin (faciō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [faˈkɪ.lɪ.taːs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [faˈt͡ʃiː.li.tas][1]

Forms

facilitās f (genitive facilitātis); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is from facilis “easy” with the suffix -tās.[2][1][3] ⟨Facilis⟩ is from faciō “to do, make”.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Terence, of good nature.[2] Köbler dates Terence 190–159 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant ease of doing something, as in Cicero, the quality of being easy to handle, and of persons facility, fluency, as Quintilian's facilitās ōris.[2][3] It meant promptness, readiness, as in Livy, and aptitude, a tendency, which Cicero contrasts with prōclīvitās, a tendency to evil.[2][5] Of character it meant good nature, indulgence, obligingness, as in Terence.[2][6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant facility, ease.[7] It survives in Italian facilità, French facilité and Spanish facilidad, and English facility came from it through Old French in the early 15th century, first meaning “gentleness”.[1][8]

Timeline

  • 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of good nature.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of ease and of aptitude.[2][4]
  • 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of readiness.[2][4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Ease, facility.[2]
  2. Ease of handling.[2]
  3. Fluency.[2]
  4. Readiness, promptness.[2]
  5. Aptitude, tendency.[2]
  6. Good nature, indulgence.[2]

References

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

“Facilitas.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/facilitas. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·