infirmus

Forms

īnfirmus (feminine īnfirma, neuter īnfirmum, comparative īnfirmior, superlative īnfirmissimus, adverb īnfirmiter); first/second-declension adjective^[1] Ammianus has a third-declension form īnfirmis.^[2]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin in- (“not”) + firmus (“strong, firm”).^[3][1] De Vaan traces firmus to Proto-Italic *fermo- and Proto-Indo-European *dʰer-mo- (“holding”), cognate with Sanskrit धर्मन् (dhárman-, “support, law”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Cicero, who says that old age makes the body weaker (corpus faciat īnfirmius).^[5][3]

Semantic evolution

Of things it is weak or fragile (Livy: the taller the ladders, the weaker they were), and in a bad state, as Caesar's damaged ships.^[3] Of people it is frail, and in poor health: Cicero has a man weak from a long and serious illness.^[3][2] Armies and fleets can be weak, food mild (Celsus), and persons, arguments or laws without force or authority.^[3] Etymonline notes figurative senses such as superstitious, faint-hearted and inconstant.^[6]

Church Latin glosses it “weak, sick, infirm”.^[7] In medieval Latin it meant ill, and of documents null and void.^[8] English infirm dates from the late 14th century.^[6]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero of old age and illness.^[3][5]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar of damaged ships.^[3][5]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy of weak ladders.^[3][5]
• late 14th century – English infirm.^[6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. weak, fragile; in poor condition.^[3][1]
2. (of persons) frail, feeble; sick, unwell.^[3][1][7]
3. (military) Weak.^[3]
4. (of food, remedies) Mild.^[3]
5. Powerless, ineffectual;^[3][1] (of arguments) inconclusive.^[3][1]
6. (Medieval Latin) Null and void.^[8]

Word family

• īnfirmitās
• perinfirmus

Related words

• firmus
• īnfirmō
• English infirm

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University 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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill