honorarius

Forms

honōrārius (feminine honōrāria, neuter honōrārium); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin honor (“honour, public office”) + -ārius.^[2][1] De Vaan, who files the noun under its older form honōs, finds no etymology for it beyond Latin.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found first in Cato,^[3][4] who says that many people gave complimentary wine to praetors and consuls in the provinces, but that he never accepted it.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

It described what was given or done as a mark of honour rather than from duty: Cicero has complimentary grain for a governor and an honorary arbitrator, chosen informally by the parties;^[2][6] Carneades used to judge a dispute as such an arbitrator.^[2][6] Cicero also says that instructing is a duty of the orator, delighting a favour, delectare honorarium, and moving the hearers a necessity.^[6][7] Suetonius has games given optionally by magistrates and a cenotaph, tumulus honorarius;^[2][7] inscriptions record the summa honoraria, a voluntary contribution to the treasury, especially by magistrates.^[2]

In law it meant derived from public office: Papinian explains the ius honorarium as the law of the praetors' edicts, named after their office.^[2] The neuter honōrārium became a noun for a gift of honour.^[7]

Timeline

• 234–149 BC – Cato speaks of complimentary wine for praetors and consuls.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero has an honorary arbitrator.^[2][4]
• c. 75–c. 150 AD – Suetonius writes of games given by magistrates.^[2][4]
• before 212 AD – Papinian defines the ius honorarium.^[2][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Given or done as a mark of honour, voluntary, complimentary;^[2][5] of games, given by magistrates at their own cost.^[2]
2. arbiter honorarius: an arbitrator chosen informally by the parties.^[2][6]
3. Of or derived from public office;^[2] (law) ius honorarium, the law of the praetors' edicts.^[2]
4. Honorary.^[8][1]

Word family

• honōrārium

Related words

• honor
• honōrō
• English honorary

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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson