Etymologically
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frugaliter

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Forms

frūgāliter (comparative frūgālius, superlative frūgālissimē)[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin frūgālis (“frugal, honest”) + -ter.[2][3] The adjective is formed from frūx (“crop, fruit”),[2] whose dative frūgī was used as an adjective meaning “worthy, honest”.[4] De Vaan traces frūx to the root of fruor (“to enjoy”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰruHg-ie/o- (“to use”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler record it first in Plautus,[4][5] where in the Epidicus a matter is to be handled sobrie et frugaliter, soberly and with restraint.[6]

Semantic evolution

In Cicero's De finibus eating frugaliter stands with eating rightly and honourably, against Gallonius, who dined wrongly, worthlessly and shamefully,[6] and Horace pairs it with parce, of living sparingly.[6] Fronto applies it to style: lofty subjects are to be treated grandly, slighter ones plainly.[6] The comparative appears in Lactantius.[6] The range is thus from “thriftily, economically” to “soberly, honestly”.[2][3]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.[4][6][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of dining temperately.[6][5]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace pairs it with parce.[6][5]
  • 100–170 AD – Fronto uses it of a plain style.[6][5]
  • c. 250–317 AD – Lactantius uses the comparative.[6][5]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. With restraint, thriftily, frugally, economically.[2][6]
  2. Soberly, honestly; of style, plainly.[6][3]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press