iste

Forms

iste (feminine ista, neuter istud); demonstrative determiner (pronominal declension)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *es-to-, which also gives Umbrian estu.^[2][3][4] De Vaan takes the first part as the ⟨*es-⟩ of the oblique cases of is, replaced in Latin by ⟨is-⟩, and the second as the PIE pronoun *so (“that”) (⟨*to-⟩).^[2] The OLD likewise sees ⟨is⟩ + ⟨-te⟩, with the declension remodelled on ille.^[4] The TLL suggests that inflected forms of both parts merged into one paradigm.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Naevius on;^[2][5] Plautus and Cato also use the genitive istī and the dative istae.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Iste is the demonstrative of the second person: “that (of yours, near you)”, “that which you mention”.^[4][6] It also marks what the hearer knows of, and can express contempt (“that despicable”).^[4][7] With little reference to the hearer it means simply “this”.^[4]

The adverbs istīc “there (where you are)”, istinc and istūc belong to it.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 235–200 BC – First found in Naevius.^[2][5]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: multōs iste morbus hominēs macerat “that illness of yours wastes many people”.^[4][5]
• 190–159 BC – Terence uses the adverb istorsum “in your direction”.^[2][5]

Meanings

Pronoun

1. that (of yours, near you); (plural) those.^[4][1]
2. That which you mention.^[4]
3. That well-known; that despicable (with contempt).^[4][7]
4. This.^[4]
5. He, she, it.^[1]

Word family

• istic
• istīc
• istinc
• istūc
• istō
• istorsum

Related words

• hic
• ille
• is

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson