Etymologically
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fremitus

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈfrɛ.mɪ.tʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈfrɛː.mi.tus][1]

Forms

fremitus m (genitive fremitūs); fourth declension[1]

Etymology

It is formed from fremō (“to roar, murmur”) with the suffix -tus.[2][1][3] De Vaan traces the verb to Proto-Italic *freme/o- and Proto-Indo-European *bʰrem-e/o- (“to hum, rumble”), though the root's exact form is not certain; it is cognate with Welsh brefu (“to bleat, roar”) and Middle High German brimmen (“to roar”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan gives Plautus as its first author,[3] who has the sky echoing with the roar of men in the Amphitruo.[2] Ennius has the forest rustling with the sound of its leaves.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

It is a deep, continuous sound, the roar or rumble of natural things, the snorting of a horse before battle (Lucretius), and the noise of crowds and commotion.[2][5] It is also grumbling or muttering, as Cicero's “what grumbling of men, what angry minds!”, and a buzz of applause, as the loud murmur and shouting that greeted a speech.[2]

Church Latin glosses it “anger, fury, murmuring, shouting, clashing”.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of the roar of warriors.[2][3][4]
  • 204–169 BC – Ennius of rustling leaves.[2][4]
  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius of a horse snorting.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of grumbling and applause.[2][4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A dull, continuous sound, roar, rumble, hum; snorting.[2][1][5]
  2. The noise of a crowd.[2]
  3. Grumbling, muttering.[2][1][6]
  4. A murmur of applause.[2]

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 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
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson