iocularis

Forms

ioculāris (neuter ioculāre, adverb ioculāriter); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin ioculus (“little joke”) + -āris (“adjective suffix”).^[2][1] The noun is a diminutive of iocus (“joke”),^[3] which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *joko- and Proto-Indo-European *iok-o- (“word, utterance”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in Terence,^[4][5] whose Phormio speaks of a laughable piece of impudence, ioculārem audāciam.^[6][7]

Semantic evolution

Cicero used it of a remark meant as a joke and of a laughable licence,^[6][8] and the neuter plural ioculāria meant jokes and jests, in Horace and in Livy's account of early stage verses.^[2][6] Quintilian mentions a book of jokes, a ioculāris libellus,^[7] and Suetonius has the adverb ioculāriter of verses sung in jest.^[6]

In medieval Latin the adjective was used as a noun for a buffoon or entertainer,^[9][10] and British writers also used the neuter for a precious object or jewel.^[10] Conte derives Italian giullare (“jester”) from Provençal joglar, which he compares with ioculāris.^[7] English borrowed it in the 1620s as jocular.^[3]

Timeline

• 190–159 BC – Terence speaks of a laughable piece of impudence.^[6][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of a remark made in jest.^[6][5]
• 65–8 BC – Horace uses the neuter plural for jokes.^[2][5]
• 1620s – English borrows it as jocular.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Laughable, facetious, jocular.^[2][6]

Noun

1. (neuter plural) Jokes, jests.^[2][6]
2. (Medieval Latin) A buffoon, juggler, entertainer.^[9][10]
3. (Medieval Latin, neuter) A precious object, jewel.^[10]

Related words

• English jocular

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
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 Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
8. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
9. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
10. ^ 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