fretus

Forms

frētus (feminine frēta, neuter frētum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *frēto-, probably inherited from Proto-Indo-European *dʰr-eh₁-to-, a participle of a lost stative verb “to be holding”, from the root *dʰer- “to hold” of firmus and ferē.^[2][1][3] Cognate with Umbrian frite (“relying on”).^[2] Ernout and Meillet's stative in *-ē- is needed because the root did not end in a laryngeal, and *bʰer- “to bear” is also possible.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Naevius.^[2] Plautus has “I rely on the gods, let us hope in the gods”.^[3] Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant relying on, trusting to, confident of, usually with an ablative, as Terence's Davus on whose advice he relies and Cicero's man trusting in his influence.^[3] Later it took a dative, as Vitruvius' frētus memoriae “trusting to memory”, an accusative and infinitive, “confident that”, as in Livy, and an infinitive, “confident of being able”, as in Statius.^[3]

Döderlein says cōnfīsus is trusting as a state of mind, while frētus is backed by something real.^[5] Medieval writers used it for “strengthened by”.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it.^[2][4]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus says he relies on the gods.^[3][4]
• 190–159 BC – Terence relies on Davus' advice.^[3][4]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it with an infinitive clause.^[3][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Relying on, trusting to, confident of.^[3]
2. Confident (that), confident of being able (to).^[3]

Word family

• perfreto

Related words

• ferē
• firmus
• frēnum
• cōnfīdō

Usage notes

Fretus, -ūs (short e) is a different word, “strait”, a variant of fretum.^[7][8] Döderlein distinguishes cōnfīsus (trusting, subjectively) from frētus (relying on real support).^[5]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
6. ^ 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
7. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
8. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press