fur

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈfuːr]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈfur]^[1]

Forms

fūr m or f (genitive fūris); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Italic *fōr, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰṓr (“thief, one who carries off”), from the root of ferō “to carry”.^[2][1][3] Cognate with Ancient Greek φώρ (phṓr, “thief”).^[2][4] It has been taken as a loan from Greek, but de Vaan doubts this, since Greek φ would hardly have given Latin f so early, the many derivatives show an old word, and /ō/ became /ū/ regularly around 200 BC.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus, where a slave is told to say that thieves came and carried off the knife and axe.^[2][4] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It was a thief, robber or burglar, and as a term of abuse a rogue, as Plautus' greeting to “thieves of husbands”.^[4] Cato says the ancestors punished a thief twice over, a usurer four times.^[6] Varro uses it of the drone or robber bee.^[4]

Medieval writers used it of the Devil as a thief.^[7] Late Latin fūrō “thief” gave Old French furet and English ferret in the late 14th century, and fūrtīvus “stolen” gave English furtive in the 16th century.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus speaks of thieves who carried off tools.^[4][5]
• 234–149 BC – Cato contrasts the punishment of thieves and usurers.^[6][5]
• late 14th century – English ferret is recorded.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. A thief, robber.^[4]
2. (abusive) A rogue.^[4]
3. A drone, robber bee.^[4]

Word family

• fūrīnus
• fūrtum
• fūrtus
• fūrunculus
• trifūr
• fūrācitās
• fūrāciter
• fūrātor
• fūrātrīna
• fūrāx
• fūror
• fūrtificus

Related words

• English ferret
• English furtive

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c 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. ^ 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
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com