flexibilitas

Forms

flexibilitās f (genitive flexibilitātis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin flexibilis (“flexible, pliant”) + -tās.^[1][2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Solinus is its first author: he says that the bulls of India turn their horns about with whatever flexibility they wish.^[2][4][5][6] Isidore of Seville later repeats the passage.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Late writers used it of bodies and of the mind or nature.^[2][7] Cassiodorus writes of athletes who wrestle with the suppleness of their oiled bodies;^[2][5] Augustine asks where a certain fragility or flexibility in a nature comes from;^[2][5] and Venantius Fortunatus says that Hilary gave a stiff tongue flexibility and ease of speech.^[2]

Medieval writers kept the physical sense: Albertus Magnus explains that a leaden rule adapts to the shape of any stone by its flexibility,^[8] and William of Malmesbury and Gerald of Wales use it of limbs.^[9] It was used of the voice in singing,^[8][9] and figuratively of changeableness, especially of the free will, which can turn to good or to evil;^[8][9][10] the Hungarian and Polish sources also have the sense of fickleness and inconstancy.^[11][10] English flexibility came from it in the 1610s, of physical things, perhaps through French.^[12]

Timeline

• 1st half of the 3rd century AD – Solinus uses it of the horns of Indian bulls.^[2][4][3]
• 354–430 AD – Augustine uses it of a nature, beside fragility.^[2][3]
• c. 485–c. 580 AD – Cassiodorus writes of the oiled bodies of athletes.^[2][3]
• 536–c. 610 AD – Venantius Fortunatus uses it of the tongue and the voice.^[2][3]
• 13th century – Albertus Magnus uses it of a leaden rule and of the free will.^[8][3]
• 1610s – English borrows flexibility.^[12]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Late Latin) Flexibility, pliancy, suppleness.^[4][5][2][1]
2. (Medieval Latin) Flexibility of the voice in singing.^[8][9]
3. (Medieval Latin) Changeableness, inconstancy; readiness to change or err.^{[8][9][11][10]}

Related words

• flectō
• English flexibility

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 l Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
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 Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b c d e f Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
9. ^ a b c d e 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
10. ^ a b c Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
11. ^ a b Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
12. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com