Etymologically
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ipse

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈɪp.sɛ][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈip.se][1]

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

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