Etymologically
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frons

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈfrõːs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈfrɔns][1]

Forms

frōns f or m (genitive frontis); third declension[1] It is masculine in Plautus, Caecilius and Cato.[2][3][4]

Etymology

There is no plausible etymology.[2][1] Walde–Hofmann and Pokorny compared Celtic and Germanic words for “side” or “steep”, as Old Norse brandr (“projection”), but de Vaan finds them not specific enough, and a link with Proto-Indo-European *h₃bʰruH- (“eyebrow”) is tempting but hard to form.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Naevius uses it.[2] Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

In Classical Latin it was the forehead or brow, the brow as the mirror of feelings, as in frontem contrahere “to frown”, and as the seat of modesty or shamelessness.[3][6] Caecilius contrasts a cheerful brow with a sad heart.[3] It was the front of anything, the front of an army in battle, a frontage in surveying, and the outer surface of a wall.[3]

In medieval Latin it was also the opening of a document.[7] Proto-Romance */ˈɸrɔnt-e/ “forehead” is continued in all Romance languages.[8] It survives as Italian fronte, French front, Spanish frente and Romanian frunte.[1] English front is recorded in the late 13th century as “forehead”.[9]

Timeline

  • c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it.[2][5]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of a person's brow.[3][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses frontem contrahere “to frown”.[6][5]
  • late 13th century – English front is recorded as “forehead”.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The forehead, brow.[3][4]
  2. Expression, countenance.[3]
  3. The brow as showing modesty or shamelessness.[3]
  4. The front, forepart (of anything).[3][1]
  5. (military) The front of an army.[3][1]
  6. (surveying) Frontage.[3][1]
  7. (Medieval Latin) The opening of a document.[7]

Word family

  • īnfrōns
  • altifrons
  • cornifrons
  • bifrōns
  • effrons
  • English front
  • English frontier

Usage notes

A different word, frōns, frondis “foliage”, also of unknown origin, gave English frond.[2][9] Isidore derived frōns “forehead” from the openings of the eyes (forāmina).[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f 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 j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  8. ^ Buchi, Éva; Schweickard, Wolfgang, eds. (2008–), Dictionnaire Étymologique Roman (DÉRom), Nancy: ATILF, http://www.atilf.fr/DERom
  9. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  10. ^ Isidore of Seville, Etymologiarum sive Originum libri XX, ed. W. M. Lindsay (Oxford, 1911).