Etymologically
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iniussus

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ɪnˈjʊs.sʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [inˈjus.sus][1]

Forms

iniussus (feminine iniussa, neuter iniussum); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is formed from in- (“not”) and ⟨iussus⟩, the past participle of iubeō (“to order”).[2][3] De Vaan traces ⟨iubeō⟩ to Proto-Italic *jouþ-eje/o- and the causative Proto-Indo-European *Hioudh-eie/o- (“to cause to move”); the Latin meaning developed from “to set in motion” to “to order”.[4] Cognate with Sanskrit युध्यति (yúdhyati, “fights”) and Lithuanian judė́ti (“to move”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Horace,[3] who mocks singers who never sing when asked and, unbidden, never stop.[5]

Semantic evolution

It means “unbidden, of one's own accord”, of persons and animals, and of things “not asked for”: Virgil says “I sing what is not unbidden”.[2][5] Lucan uses it of a boy acting unbidden.[5]

In medieval sources a placitum iniussum is a court held without summons.[6]

Timeline

  • 70–19 BC – Virgil, “not unbidden I sing”.[2][3]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace of singers who will not stop unbidden.[5][3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Unbidden, of one's own accord, spontaneous.[2][5][1]
  2. Of things, not asked for.[2]
  3. (Medieval Latin) placitum iniussum, a court held without summons.[6]

Usage notes

The ablative iniussū “without orders”, usually with a genitive (iniussū imperātōris), is much more common;[2][3][5] Köbler finds it from Plautus on, and Lewis and Short call it frequent in Cicero and Livy.[2][3][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b 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 e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill