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impos

Etymology and origin of the Latin word impos

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Confidence
Probable
Formation
Compound
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*pótis)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈɪm.pɔs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈim.pos][1]

Forms

impos (genitive impotis, comparative impotior, superlative impotissimus); third-declension one-termination adjective[1] Also spelled inpos.[2]

Etymology

It is from in- “not” and ⟨*pos⟩, the root of potis “able”, the opposite of compos.[2][3][1] De Vaan takes the stem in ⟨-pot-⟩ “able” of ⟨impos⟩ and ⟨compos⟩ as confirming the root of ⟨potis⟩, which he traces to Proto-Indo-European *pót-i- (“master, lord”).[4] The TLL cites Leumann's alternative derivation from impōnō.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its earliest source is Plautus.[6][2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

With a genitive it meant not having control or possession of, not master of, as in Plautus' impos animī and Accius, and Lewis & Short call it ante- and post-classical, as in Seneca, Suetonius and Apuleius.[2][3]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant not master of, without control of.[7] British Medieval Latin used it for not possessing, and impos vōtī not having what one desires.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.[2][6]
  • 170–c. 90 BC – Accius uses it.[2][6]
  • 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca uses it.[2][6]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (with genitive) Not having control or possession of, not master of.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c 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. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  6. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  8. ^ 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
Cite this entry

“Impos.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/impos. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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