inique

Forms

inīquē (comparative inīquius, superlative inīquissimē)^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin inīquus (“unequal, unfair”) + -ē.^[2][3] De Vaan lists inīquus among the derivatives of aequus (“level, fair”), which he reconstructs as Proto-Italic *aikwos but finds without a convincing etymology.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest example is in Plautus' Casina, of how unfairly someone has behaved towards Venus;^[2] Köbler dates it from Terence.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense is unequally or unevenly: Terence's character never saw a contest more unequally matched.^[2] It is also unfairly, unjustly or unreasonably, the sense in Plautus, and without equanimity, with ill humour, as when Suetonius says that Caesar bore the disfigurement of his baldness very ill.^[2][1] Wiktionary adds unwillingly or reluctantly.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of acting unfairly.^[2][3]
• 190–159 BC – Terence of an unequal contest.^[2][3]
• c. 75–c. 150 AD – Suetonius of bearing baldness ill.^[2][3]

Meanings

Adverb

1. Unequally, unevenly.^[2][1]
2. Unfairly, unjustly, unreasonably.^[2][1]
3. Without equanimity, with ill humour; unwillingly.^[2][1]

Related words

• inīquus
• aequē

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill