Etymologically
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forte

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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]

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