flammeus

Forms

flammeus (feminine flammea, neuter flammeum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin flamma (“flame”) + -eus.^[2][1][3] De Vaan lists it under flagrō “to burn” and derives flamma from Proto-Italic *flagma, Proto-Indo-European *bʰl̥g-mh₂- (“flame”), comparing Ancient Greek φλογμός (phlogmós, “flame”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Ennius.^[4] The OLD's earliest quotations are in Accius, of a flaming brand and of a man mad with fiery love.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

It is flaming, fiery: Cicero says the stars are fiery by nature.^[2][6] It is also bright like fire, and of the eyes burning, and flame-coloured: Varro, quoted by Pliny the Elder, speaks of a moon that appears flame-red.^[2] Of heat it is burning hot, as in Varro's fruits killed by fiery heat or cold.^[2] Figuratively it is ardent, passionate, and in Catullus swift as fire.^[2] Gellius notes that colour words are borrowed from things, as ⟨igneum⟩ and ⟨flammeum⟩.^[3] Its neuter flammeum is the flame-coloured bridal veil, from Caecilius on.^[4] Church Latin glosses it flaming, fiery.^[7]

Timeline

• 204–169 BC – Ennius.^[4][5]
• 170–c. 90 BC – Accius of a flaming brand and of fiery love.^[2][5]
• 116–27 BC – Varro of a flame-red moon and of fiery heat.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of fiery stars.^[6][5]
• 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus of feet swift as fire.^[2][5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Flaming, fiery.^[2][6][1][7]
2. Bright like fire; flame-coloured, red.^[2][6][1]
3. Burning hot, torrid.^[2]
4. Ardent, passionate; swift as fire.^[2]

Word family

• flammeolus
• flammeum

Related words

• flamma

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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c d de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson