furtivus

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [fuːrˈtiː.wʊs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [furˈtiː.vus]^[1]

Forms

fūrtīvus (feminine fūrtīva, neuter fūrtīvum, not comparable, adverb fūrtīvē); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from fūrtum “theft” with the suffix -īvus; ⟨fūrtum⟩ is from fūr “thief”.^[2][1][3][4] De Vaan traces ⟨fūr⟩ to Proto-Italic *fōr-, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰōr (“thief”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Plautus, of stolen girls bought on the market.^[2][6] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant obtained by theft, stolen, as in Plautus, and then stealthy, secret, clandestine, as in Cicero.^[2][6]

British Medieval Latin used it for stolen and for thievish, associated with theft.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of stolen goods.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of the secret.^[2][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Stolen.^[2]
2. Stealthy, secret, clandestine, furtive.^[2]

Word family

• fūrtīvē

Related words

• fūrtum
• fūr
• fūrtim

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
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