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iste

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈɪs.tɛ][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈis.te][1]

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

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