fructuarius

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [fruːk.tuˈaː.ri.ʊs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [fruk.tuˈaː.ri.us]^[1]

Forms

frūctuārius (feminine frūctuāria, neuter frūctuārium); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin frūctus (“fruit, produce, profit”) + -ārius.^[2][1] De Vaan traces ⟨frūctus⟩, the noun of fruor “to enjoy”, to Proto-Italic ⟨*frūg-je/o-⟩, Proto-Indo-European *bʰruHg-ye/o- (“to use”), cognate with Oscan ⟨fruktatiuf⟩ “usufruct” and Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌿𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (brukjan, “to use”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's earliest source is Varro.^[4] Köbler dates Varro 116–27 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

As an adjective it meant fruit-bearing, of shoots or buds, as in Columella and Pliny, and productive, of animals; in law, from Gaius, it meant relating to usufruct, held in usufruct.^[2][5][6] As a noun it was in Ulpian a usufructuary, one entitled to the use and fruits of a property he did not own, and in an inscription apparently a fruiterer.^[2]

Medieval Latin used the noun for a fruiterer and a manorial officer in charge of fruit.^[7]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it.^[4]
• 1st century AD – Columella uses it of shoots.^[2][4]
• 140–180 AD – Gaius uses it of usufruct.^[2][4]
• before 223 AD – Ulpian uses it of a usufructuary.^[2][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Fruit-bearing, productive.^[2][5]
2. (law) Of usufruct.^[2]

Noun

1. (law) A usufructuary.^[2]
2. A fruiterer.^[2][7]

Word family

• fructuāria

Related words

• frūctus
• ūsūfrūctuārius
• fruor

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. ^ 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 f 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. ^ 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