ineptus

Forms

ineptus (feminine inepta, neuter ineptum, comparative ineptior); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from the negative prefix in- (“not, un-”) and aptus (“fitted, suitable”).^[2][3][4][1] De Vaan explains ⟨aptus⟩ as the participle of apīscor (“to get, seize”) and its active ⟨apiō⟩ “to tie”, from Proto-Italic *ap-(e)i- and Proto-Indo-European *h₁p-i- (“to get, grab”), cognate with Hittite epp- (“to take, grab”).^[5] The TLL compares Sanskrit अनाप्त (anāpta, “unfit”).^[3]

Cicero already explained the word: the inept man is so called because he is not apt.^[4] Isidore of Seville says it is the opposite of ⟨aptus⟩, as if ⟨inaptus⟩.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler gives Plautus,^[6] who has “why do I stand here like a fool, afraid to interrupt, and not get on with what I came for?” in the Trinummus.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Of people it is lacking any sense of what is fitting, foolish or silly, as in Plautus, and of words and acts tasteless or absurd, as Plautus' “his love is silly and hateful”.^[2][4][1] Cicero defines the inept man as one who does not see what the occasion requires, talks too much or shows off, and Lewis and Short give the senses unsuitable, impertinent, improper, pedantic and tactless.^[4][1] Catullus uses it in the literal sense “not well joined”, of the loose legs of the little bridge at Colonia.^[2]

Church Latin glosses it “stupid, inept, silly, unsuited, awkward”.^[7] English inept (about 1600) comes from it, through French or directly.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of a foolish man.^[2][6]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero explains the word.^[4][6]
• 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus of a loosely built bridge.^[2][6]
• c. 1600 – English inept comes from it.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Lacking in judgement or tact, foolish, silly.^[2][4][1][7]
2. (of words, actions) Tasteless, absurd, impertinent; pedantic.^[2][4][1]
3. Unsuitable, inept, awkward.^[4][1][7]
4. Not well joined, loose.^[2]

Word family

• ineptia
• ineptiō
• ineptitūdō

Related words

• aptus
• apīscor
• English inept

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ 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 c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com