ipse

Forms

ipse (feminine ipsa, neuter ipsum or ipsud, no comparative, superlative ipsissimus or ipsimus); demonstrative determiner (pronominal declension)^[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of the pronoun is with an element ⟨-pse⟩, whose origin is disputed.^[2][3] The oldest forms inflect the first part: ⟨eapse⟩, ⟨eumpse⟩, ⟨eāpse⟩ (still in Plautus).^[3][2] De Vaan derives ⟨-pse⟩ from ⟨*-pe-so⟩, containing the PIE pronoun Proto-Indo-European *so (“that”), and reconstructs *so-pe-so, later ⟨*e(s)-pe-so⟩; rare forms with ⟨s-⟩ in both parts, such as ⟨sapsa⟩ in Ennius and Pacuvius, point the same way.^[3] The TLL reports Sommer's view that the oldest forms repeated the pronoun ⟨*so⟩.^[4] Wiktionary mentions the traditional explanation of the /p/ as a consonant inserted between the two inflected parts.^[1]

Oscan esuf (“himself”) and Umbrian esuf may be related.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found in the Twelve Tables and Livius Andronicus; the Old Latin nominative was ipsus (also ipsos in a royal law), used from Livius Andronicus to Cato.^[3][2][5]

Semantic evolution

Ipse singles out a person or thing as opposed to others (“himself, herself, itself”), emphasizes a reflexive (sē ipsum), and means “in person”, “of one's own accord”, and “the very” (hōc ipsō tempore “at this very time”).^[2][6] With numbers and times it means “exactly, just”, and it can single out the master or chief from his subordinates.^[2][1]

In Medieval Latin it served as a plain pronoun “he”, a demonstrative “this”, and an article “the”.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 450 BC – Used in the Twelve Tables.^[3][5]
• c. 280–200 BC – Livius Andronicus uses the nominative ipsus.^[2][5]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus has eapse and the superlative ipsissimus “his very self”.^[2][3][5]
• c. 550–1150 – Medieval Latin uses it as a pronoun and article.^[7]

Meanings

Pronoun

1. himself, herself, itself (as opposed to others).^[2][6]
2. For one's own part.^[2]
3. In person.^[2][1]
4. The actual, the real: rēs ipsa, the facts themselves.^[2]
5. By oneself, of one's own accord.^[2][1]
6. The very, that very; exactly, just (with numbers and times).^[2][1]
7. The master, the chief (as opposed to his subordinates).^[1]
8. (Medieval Latin) He; this; the.^[7]

Word family

• ipsissimus
• ipsimus
• rēapse
• metipse

Related words

• is
• sē

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill