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