fragrans

Forms

frāgrans (genitive frāgrantis; comparative frāgrantior, superlative frāgrantissimus); third-declension one-termination adjective^[1][2] It is also spelled frāglans.^[1]

Etymology

Used as an adjective, it is the present participle from Latin frāgrō (“to smell strongly”).^[1][3][4] De Vaan traces the verb to Proto-Italic *fragro- and Proto-Indo-European *bʰrh₁g-ro- (“smelling”), reporting Schrijver's view, which Walde–Hofmann and Pokorny preferred, that the verb was derived from an adjective; the laryngeal is *h₁ only if the Germanic words are connected, and Schumacher reconstructs the root as *bʰrHg-.^[5] The cognates de Vaan lists include Middle Irish brén (“putrid, foul”) and Middle High German bræhen (“to smell”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Conte cites it first from Catullus, meaning “fragrant”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant sweet-smelling, as of honey fragrant with thyme in Virgil,^[6][2][3] and also strong-smelling or rank;^[1] Conte cites the Moretum for strong-smelling garlic.^[3] Apuleius has the superlative of a perfume, and Isidore of Seville the comparative.^[6][2] English fragrant is borrowed from it in the mid-15th century.^[7]

Timeline

• 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus uses it for “fragrant”.^[3][8]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of honey fragrant with thyme.^[6][2][8]
• c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius uses the superlative of a perfume.^[6][2][8]
• c. 560–636 AD – Isidore of Seville uses the comparative.^[2][8]
• mid-15th century – Borrowed into English as fragrant.^[7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Fragrant, sweet-smelling.^[1][6][3]
2. Strong-smelling, rank.^[1]

Related words

• English fragrant

Usage notes

The OLD marks the first vowel long (frāgrans), Conte short (frăgrans).^[1][3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
3. ^ a b c d e f g Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
4. ^ Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier
5. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ a b c d e Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de