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furor

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈfʊ.rɔr][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈfuː.ror][1]

Forms

furor m (genitive furōris); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is from furō “to rage, be out of one's mind” with the suffix -or.[2][1][3] Etymonline relates it to furia “rage, fury”.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Catullus, whom he dates 81/79–52/50 BC.[5] The OLD's earliest citations are from Cicero, of violent madness, and Catullus, of the rage of storms.[2]

Semantic evolution

It meant violent madness, delirium, and Cicero sets it apart from īnsānia, calling it what the Greeks call melancholía.[2][6] It meant possession by a god, prophetic or poetic inspiration, and personified, Madness or a Fury, as in Virgil.[2] It meant frenzy, distraction, and hostile rage, as Horace's īra furor brevis est “anger is a brief madness”.[2][3] In Virgil it also meant passionate desire, and its object, and it was used of violent conduct and of the fury of storms.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant indignation, wrath, rage, insanity.[7] Medieval Latin also used it of error, heresy.[8] English furor came through Old French fureur in the late 15th century, and English furore from Italian in 1790.[4]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of madness and of inspiration.[2][6][5]
  • 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus uses it of the rage of storms.[2][5]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of passion and personifies it.[2][5]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace writes īra furor brevis est.[3][5]
  • late 15th century – English furor is recorded.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Violent madness, delirium.[2]
  2. Divine possession, prophetic or poetic inspiration.[2]
  3. Madness personified; a Fury.[2]
  4. Frenzy; rage, fury, anger.[2]
  5. Passionate desire; its object.[2]
  6. Violent behaviour.[2]
  7. The rage of storms.[2]
  8. (Medieval Latin) Error, heresy.[8]
  • furō
  • furia
  • īnsānia
  • English furor
  • English furore
  • English fury

Usage notes

A different verb fūror, fūrārī “to steal”, from fūr “thief”, is found from Plautus and Cato onwards.[2][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill