interrogativus

Forms

interrogātīvus (feminine interrogātīva, neuter interrogātīvum, adverb interrogātīvē); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin interrogō (“to ask, question”),^[2][3][4] formed on its past participle stem ⟨interrogāt-⟩.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The adverb interrogātīvē “by way of a question” already appears in Tertullian (c. 160–220 AD).^[3][4] The adjective is first found as a grammatical term in Porphyrio's commentary on Horace, of the 2nd half of the 2nd century AD,^[2][4] meaning “having the force of a question”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It remained a term of the grammarians: Donatus, Diomedes and Priscian use it of words and forms that ask a question, such as interrogative adverbs.^[2][3][6]

Medieval grammar kept it: Alcuin calls qualis, quantus and quot interrogative nouns, and as a neuter noun it could mean an interrogative sentence or a question.^[7] In logic Albertus Magnus applied it to a dialectic that proceeds by questions.^[8] English took interrogative from it about 1500.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian uses the adverb interrogātīvē.^[3][4]
• 2nd half of the 2nd century AD – Porphyrio uses the adjective in his commentary on Horace.^[2][4]
• c. 310–380 AD – Donatus uses it in his commentary on Terence.^[2][4]
• 2nd half of the 4th century AD – Diomedes uses it in his grammar.^[4][6]
• 6th century AD – Priscian speaks of interrogative adverbs.^[3][4]
• c. 1500 – English borrows it as interrogative.^[5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (grammar) Interrogative, having the force of a question.^[3][2][6][9]
2. (Medieval Latin, logic) Proceeding by questions.^[8]

Noun

1. (Medieval Latin, neuter) An interrogative word or sentence; a question.^[7]

Related words

• English interrogative

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ a b 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
8. ^ a b Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
9. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier