ferme

Forms

fermē (superlative)^[1]

Etymology

De Vaan takes it as an ablative in ⟨-ē⟩ of an unrecorded superlative ⟨*ferimus⟩ of the adjective behind ferē (“almost, about”), since it has the same meaning as ⟨ferē⟩, rather than as a variant of firmus (“firm, strong”).^[2][3] He traces ⟨ferē⟩ to Proto-Italic *fero- (“close by”), with the superlative *feramo- (“very close by, near”), and Proto-Indo-European *dʰer-o- (“holding, tight”); if the first meaning was “holding” or “fixed”, the change to “nearly” is a weakening of “certainly”.^[2] Lindsay also took it as a superlative of ⟨ferē⟩, while the TLL wondered whether ⟨ferē⟩ is rather shortened from ⟨fermē⟩, which is closer to ⟨firmus⟩.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLL finds it from Naevius onwards,^[4] as does Köbler.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It means the same as ferē: approximately, about or more or less, especially with numbers, and nearly or practically, as with idem in Terence's “almost the same things” and often in Livy and Tacitus.^[3][4] Introducing a generalisation it is usually or as a rule, and with a negation hardly ever.^[3][1] The final vowel is long in verse from Plautus and Lucretius to Juvenal, and short only in a Christian inscription.^[4] De Vaan calls it the more archaic of the two forms.^[2]

Church Latin glosses it “almost”.^[6] Döderlein says that ferē and fermē only guard the accuracy of a statement, “about”, while paene and prope soften an exaggeration, “almost” and “nearly”.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 235–200 BC – Naevius.^[4][5]
• 190–159 BC – Terence of things almost the same.^[4][5]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it often with īdem.^[4][5]

Meanings

Adverb

1. Approximately, about, more or less.^[3][1]
2. Nearly, almost, practically.^[3][6]
3. As a rule, usually, generally;^[3][1] (with a negation) hardly ever.^[3]

Related words

• ferē
• firmus
• paene
• prope

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper