Etymologically
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iampridem

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Forms

iamprīdem (not comparable)[1] It is also written as two words, iam prīdem, and the order can be reversed (prīdem iam).[2][3]

Etymology

It is a compound, from Latin iam (“now, already”) + prīdem (“some time ago”).[4][1][5] De Vaan derives prīdem from an adverb ⟨*pri⟩ “before” (the base of prior) with the emphatic particle ⟨-dem⟩, and iam probably from an old accusative ⟨*iām⟩ “as far as this goes”.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Plautus,[5][2] in both of its senses: “long ago” in the Poenulus (iam prīdem equidem istuc ex tē audīvī, “I heard that from you long ago”) and “for a long time now” in the Casina.[2]

Semantic evolution

In Classical Latin it meant either that something happened well before now (or then), as in Cicero's ad mortem tē dūcī iam prīdem oportēbat, “you ought to have been led to death long ago”,[2] or that a state has lasted a long time, as in Cicero's cupiō et iam prīdem cupiō, “I want to, and have wanted to for a long time”.[2] It is common in Cicero, Virgil, Horace and Livy, and Apuleius still uses it.[2][3]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses iam prīdem for “long ago” and “for a long time now”.[2][5]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence uses it in the Phormio.[2][3][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it in his speeches and letters.[2][5]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it in the Georgics.[2][5]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. Long ago, long since, well before now or then.[2][3]
  2. For a long time now, for a long time past.[2][7]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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. ^ Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier
  5. ^ a b c d e f 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. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.