ignobilis

Forms

ignōbilis (neuter ignōbile, comparative ignōbilior); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from the negative prefix in- (“not”) and nōbilis (“known, famous, noble”).^[2][3][4] Leumann, followed by de Vaan, takes the negative form to be the older: it would be a derivative of a noun *gnō-bulum (“landmark, sign of recognition”), and ⟨gnōbilis⟩ a back-formation from it.^[5][1] The root is that of nōscō (“to get to know”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”).^[5][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler date it from Livius Andronicus.^[5][3] In Plautus a character asks who this unknown person is who comes into his sight.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense is unknown, then little known or undistinguished, as Cicero's not undistinguished teacher of speaking.^[2][4] From Ennius on it is of low birth or humble station, opposed to the rich,^[2] and in Cicero it can be inglorious or base, of a contemptible king.^[2]

Church Latin glosses it “base, obscure, ignoble, inglorious”.^[6] English ignoble, from French, is first recorded in the mid-15th century as “of low birth”.^[7]

Timeline

• 280/260–before 200 BC – First recorded in Livius Andronicus.^[5][3]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of an unknown person.^[2][3]
• 204–169 BC – Ennius of people of low birth.^[2][3]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of an undistinguished teacher and of a base king.^[2][3]
• mid-15th century – English ignoble, through French.^[7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Not known, unknown.^[2][4]
2. Undistinguished, obscure, unimportant.^[2][1]
3. Of low birth or humble station, baseborn.^[2][1]
4. Inglorious, base, mean.^[2][6]

Word family

• ignōbilitās

Related words

• nōbilis
• nōscō
• ignōtus
• English ignoble

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g 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 e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com