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hactenus

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word hactenus

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
81–43 BC, Cicero

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈhaːk.tɛ.nʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈak.te.nus][1]

Forms

hāctenus (not comparable)[1] It is split by tmesis as hāc … tenus in Virgil and Ovid;[2][3] Marius Victorinus reports an archaic form hācetenus.[3]

Etymology

It is formed from hāc (“on this side, by this way”), the ablative feminine of hic (“this”), and tenus (“as far as”).[2][3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler gives Cicero as its first author,[4] who has “let anyone blame him this far, no further” in the Verrines.[2]

Semantic evolution

It is so far in space, as Ovid's “thus far the left side of the Black Sea is Roman”; so far in time or up to now, as Virgil's “thus far, sister Acca, I have been able”; and to this extent, often with the sense “no further”.[2][3][1] In writing it marks the end of a topic, “so much for”, as Cicero's “is this enough so far?”, and after direct speech it is “so much he said”, as in Ovid.[2][1]

Döderlein contrasts adhūc, which refers to time, with hāctenus and hūcusque, which refer to place or a point reached.[5] Church Latin glosses it “so far, up to this point, only this, only so much”.[6]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of a limit to blame.[2][4]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil of time up to now.[2][4]
  • 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid of the limits of Roman land.[2][4]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. So far, as far as this (in space).[2][1]
  2. Up to now, hitherto.[2][1]
  3. To this extent, so far (and no further).[2][1][6]
  4. (in writing) So much for this;[2][1] (after a speech) so much (he said).[2][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Cite this entry

“Hactenus.” Etymologically, 19 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/hactenus. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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