Etymologically

interutrasque

Etymology and origin of the Latin word interutrasque

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
96–55 BC, Lucretius
Ultimate origin
Latin (inter-,uterque)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin uterque
Latin interutrasque

Forms

interutrāsque (adverb)[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin inter- + uterque (“each of two”).[2] For its formation the OLD compares adverbs such as aliās and forās.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found only in Lucretius,[3][4] meaning “in between two extremes”, “midway”.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

The dictionaries cite it from three passages of Lucretius.[3][5] In one of them an animal is said to stand midway between stags and fierce lions: interutrasque sitast cervos saevosque leones.[5] No later author is cited for it.[3][4][1]

Timeline

  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it for a position midway between two extremes.[3][4][6]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. In between two extremes, midway.[2][4][1]

Usage notes

The references differ: Gaffiot cites Lucretius 2.518 and 5.472, Conte 2.518 and 3.306, and Jeanneau all three.[3][4][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c VoLat: Vocabolario della Lingua Latina (2018), Milan: Hoepli
  2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  5. ^ a b c Jeanneau, Gérard; Woitrain, Jean-Paul; Hassid, Jean-Claude (2017), Dictionnaire latin-français, online ed., prima-elementa.fr
  6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
Cite this entry

“Interutrasque.” Etymologically, 20 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/interutrasque. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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