forte

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈfɔr.tɛ]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈfɔr.te]^[1]

Forms

forte (not comparable)^[1]

Etymology

It is the ablative of fors “chance, luck”.^[2][1][3] De Vaan reconstructs ⟨fors⟩ as Proto-Italic *forti- (“luck”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *bʰr̥-ti- (“bearing”), from the root of ⟨ferō⟩ “to bear”.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Ennius, of something done by chance.^[2] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant by chance, accidentally, at random, as in Ennius; in narrative it introduces a chance event, “as it happened”; in conditions and questions it means “by any chance”, as in sī forte; and in Horace and later perhaps, maybe.^[2][5] The OLD notes that it cannot easily be told apart from the ablative of fors used as an adverb.^[2]

Medieval Latin had a different forte, from fortis, meaning strongly.^[6]

Timeline

• 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it.^[2][3]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.^[3]
• 65–8 BC – Horace uses it for “perhaps”.^[2][3]

Meanings

Adverb

1. By chance, accidentally.^[2]
2. As it happened.^[2]
3. (in conditions) By any chance.^[2]
4. Perhaps, maybe.^[2]

Related words

• fors
• forsan
• forsit
• forsitan
• fortāsse
• fortāssis
• fortuītō
• fortuītus
• fortūna

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill