fidus

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈfiː.dʊs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈfiː.dus]^[1]

Forms

fīdus (feminine fīda, neuter fīdum, comparative fīdior, superlative fīdissimus); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *feiðos, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰós, from the root of fīdō “to trust” and fidēs “faith”.^[1][2][3] An inscription has the old spelling ⟨feidus⟩.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citation is Ennius.^[2] Köbler's first source is Plautus.^[3] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant keeping faith, faithful, loyal, devoted, as Cicero's most faithful wife, also of friendships and in poetry of things, and loyal in allegiance.^[2][4] Of actions it meant honest, sincere, and of persons trustworthy, reliable, as Livy's more reliable kinds of men; of things and places it meant safe, of conditions lasting.^[2][4] Döderlein says fīdus is trustworthy as a natural quality, while fidēlis is faithful as a moral one.^[5]

In Medieval Latin it meant confident, and confidential, secret.^[6] It survives in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese fido.^[1]

Timeline

• 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of faithfulness.^[2][3]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[3]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of a faithful wife.^[4][3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Faithful, loyal, devoted.^[2]
2. Loyal (in allegiance).^[2]
3. Honest, sincere.^[2]
4. Trustworthy, reliable; safe.^[2]
5. (Medieval Latin) Confidential.^[6]

Word family

• fidamen
• īnfīdus
• multifidus

Related words

• fīdō
• fīdūcia
• fīdūciārius
• fidēs
• fidēlis

Usage notes

Fīdus is also an old form of foedus “treaty”, cited by Varro.^[2][4]

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 k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
6. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill