illusorius

Forms

illūsōrius (feminine illūsōria, neuter illūsōrium); first/second-declension adjective^[1] It is also spelled inlusorius.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin illūdō (“to mock, make sport of”),^[2][4] formed on the stem of its past participle with the suffix -ōrius.^[4] The TLL allows a derivation from the agent noun illūsor (“mocker”) as well as from the verb, comparing dēceptōrius.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lewis and Short call it Late Latin and give Ambrose (c. 340–397 AD) and Augustine (354–430 AD) for the sense “mocking”:^[6][2] Ambrose writes of an illusoria adoratio, worship offered in mockery,^[6][7] and Augustine of the robe put on Christ in derision.^[5][8]

Semantic evolution

Julian of Eclanum used it for deceptive,^[5][8] and a glossary has the neuter as a noun for mockery.^[5][7] Bede calls a vision possibly inlusoria, a delusion,^[3] and medieval writers used it for deceitful, illusory, imaginary, feigned and futile.^[9][10][3]

English took it over as illusory in the 16th century, through French.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 340–397 AD – Ambrose uses it of mocking worship.^[6][7][2]
• 354–430 AD – Augustine uses it of the robe of derision.^[5][6][2]
• 1st third of the 8th century AD – Bede uses it of a deceptive vision.^[3][2]
• 2nd half of the 12th century – Hildegard of Bingen warns against illusoria and fantastic deeds.^[10][2]
• 1590s – English borrows it, through French, as illusory.^[4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Mocking, given in derision, ironical.^[6][5][11]
2. (Late Latin) Deceptive, illusory.^[5][9][3]
3. (Medieval Latin) Imaginary, feigned; futile.^[10][3]
4. (as a neuter noun) Mockery.^[5][7]

Related words

• English illusory

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
3. ^ a b c d e f 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
4. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
6. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
8. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
9. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
10. ^ a b c Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
11. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson