insecurus

Forms

īnsēcūrus (feminine īnsēcūra, neuter īnsēcūrum); first/second-declension adjective^[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Latin in-² (“not”) + sēcūrus (“free from care, safe”), a Medieval Latin formation.^[2][3][1] English insecure was taken from it.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The MLW's earliest example is from Heiric's life of Germanus, where a crowd obeys orders although it is “insecura”, unsure.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Medieval writers used it of people who were unsure or wavering^[2] and of things that were unsafe: Thomas Bradwardine calls an anchor badly placed more insecurus than anything,^[3] and in Albertus Magnus' commentary on Aristotle's Politics it renders Ancient Greek ἐπισφαλής (episphalḗs, “precarious”).^[2] In the Latin of Poland it meant anxious or frightened, of people, and turbulent or dangerous, of places.^[5]

Timeline

• before 1350 – British Medieval Latin sources record it, according to Latham's word list.^[1]
• 1448 – A Polish letter speaks of loca insecura, dangerous places with a threat of hostility.^[5]
• 1505 – A Polish court record uses it of a frightened man.^[5]
• 1640s – English borrows it as insecure.^[4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (Medieval Latin) Unsure, wavering, irresolute.^[2][5]
2. (Medieval Latin) Unsafe, unsecured; dangerous.^[3][5][1]
3. (Medieval Latin) Not assured, doubtful.^[3]

Related words

• English insecure

References

1. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
2. ^ a b c d e f Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c d Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl