Etymologically
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inimicus

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ɪ.nɪˈmiː.kʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [i.niˈmiː.kus][1]

Forms

inimīcus (feminine inimīca, neuter inimīcum, comparative inimicior, superlative inimicissimus); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from in- (“not”) and amīcus “friendly, friend”.[2][1][3] Amīcus is from amō “to love”.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citations are from Plautus, whose character says another's wife is hostile to him.[2] Köbler's first source is Cicero.[4] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant unfriendly, ill-disposed to a person, and as a noun a personal and especially political enemy, an opponent.[2][5] Of words and looks it meant hostile, as Plautus' hostile glance, and in augury belonging to the enemy.[2] Of things it meant harmful, as Cicero's weeds most harmful to crops, and incompatible, as his remark that nothing is so opposed to law as violence.[2] Döderlein distinguishes hostis, a public enemy, from inimīcus, a private one.[6]

In Medieval Latin it was one engaged in a blood feud, and in Christian Latin the Devil.[7] It survives in Italian nemico, French ennemi and Spanish enemigo.[1] Through Old French enemi it is the source of English enemy, recorded in the early 13th century.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of a hostile wife.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of things harmful to crops.[2][4]
  • early 13th century – English enemy is recorded.[8]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Unfriendly, hostile.[2]
  2. Belonging to an enemy.[2]
  3. Harmful, injurious.[2]
  4. Opposed, incompatible.[2]

Noun

  1. A personal enemy, opponent.[2]
  2. (Ecclesiastical Latin) The Devil.[7]

Word family

  • inimicalis
  • inimīcitia
  • inimīcō

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com