honorifice

Forms

honōrificē (comparative honōrificentius, superlative honōrificentissimē)^[1]

Etymology

It is an adverb, from Latin honōrificus (“conferring honour”), formed with -ē.^[2][3] The adjective is made from honōs (“honour”) and -ficus, from faciō (“to make, do”).^[2][4][5] De Vaan finds no etymology for honōs beyond the observation that its ⟨hon-⟩ can only go back to Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰon- or *gʰon-.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler first records it in Cicero,^[5] who speaks in the Verrines of someone received with honour (honōrificē acceptus) and in the Philippics of praising someone and answering honourably.^[7][4]

Semantic evolution

It means with honour or respect, of receiving, treating, answering, naming or writing to someone in a way that does them honour.^[2][8][7] Cicero uses the comparative and superlative too: he could not have been treated more generously or more honourably, and a letter was written most honourably.^[4][8] Livy uses it of honours not shown publicly or privately, and Suetonius of receiving someone with honour.^[4][8][9] In medieval British Latin it means reverently and with ceremony, as when Alcuin in 801 urges that companions behave honourably in religion, dress and church order.^[10] It could also mean in a way that confers honour and, of victory, honourably.^[10]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of receiving and treating someone with honour.^[5][7]
• 59 BC–AD 17 – Livy uses it.^[4][9][5]
• 801 – Alcuin uses it of conduct in religious ceremony.^[10]

Meanings

Adverb

1. With honour or respect, honourably, respectfully.^[2][8]
2. (Medieval Latin) Reverently, solemnly, with due ceremony.^[10]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
7. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
8. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
9. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
10. ^ a b c d 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