imperite

Forms

imperītē (comparative imperītius, superlative imperītissimē)^[1] Also spelled inperītē.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin imperītus (“inexperienced, unskilled”) + -ē.^[2][1] That adjective is in- (“not”) with perītus (“experienced”),^[1] which de Vaan treats, with experior (“to try, test”) and perīculum (“trial, danger”), under pariō (“to bring forth; obtain”); he records both adjectives from Plautus on.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler first records it in Cicero,^[5] who in the Brutus says of a speaker that he spoke “not unskilfully” (nōn imperītē).^[6][7]

Semantic evolution

Cicero also uses it of a clumsy and absurd invention, and has the comparative and the superlative in the speech for Balbus, of things said most ignorantly.^[8][6] Nepos has it too,^[7] and Quintilian speaks of a few passages clumsily excerpted from Plato's Gorgias.^[8]

In British medieval Latin it occurs in the dialogue of Church and Synagogue, of a denial made ignorantly and deceitfully, and in Richard of Bury, of lazy fishermen who mend their torn nets without skill.^[9]

Timeline

• c. 100–24 BC – Nepos uses it.^[7][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it, with its comparative and superlative.^[6][5]
• c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses it of clumsy excerpts from Plato.^[8][5]

Meanings

Adverb

1. In an ignorant or unskilful manner, clumsily.^[2][8][6]

Related words

• imperītus
• perītus

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ 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 Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ a b c Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
9. ^ 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