immodestia

Forms

immodestia f (genitive immodestiae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin immodestus (“lacking restraint”) + -ia.^[2][1][3] The adjective is modestus (“moderate”) with the negative prefix in-, and that is formed on modus (“measure”),^[2] which de Vaan, following Schrijver, traces to Proto-Italic *medo- (“measure, judgement”) and Proto-Indo-European *med-o- (“measure”).^[4] Cognate with Umbrian meřs (“law”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Plautus,^[5] where a character complains that the master's lack of restraint has forced him, haec erī immodestia coēgit.^[3][6]

Semantic evolution

It means a lack of self-control or restraint, intemperate or unruly conduct.^[2][6] Nepos uses it as a military term for indiscipline, of one's own soldiers and of the enemy's.^[7][3] Tacitus uses it of the extortion of the tax-farmers, of the licentiousness of actors and of the unruliness of spectators.^[6][7] Lewis and Short call it very rare and note that Cicero does not use it.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of a master's lack of restraint.^[3][5]
• c. 100–24 BC – Nepos uses it of soldiers' indiscipline.^[7][5]
• 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses it of tax-farmers and of actors.^[6][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. Lack of self-control or restraint; intemperate conduct.^[2][6]
2. (military) Lack of discipline, insubordination.^[7][2]
3. Licentiousness, excess; of tax-farmers, extortion.^[2][6]

Related words

• immodestus
• modestia
• modestus

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d e f g 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