Etymologically
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lacrima

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈɫa.krɪ.ma][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈlaː.kri.ma][1]

Forms

lacrima f (genitive lacrimae); first declension[1]

Etymology

It is from Old Latin ⟨dacrima⟩, ⟨dacruma⟩, which Festus reports was frequent in Livius Andronicus, perhaps from Proto-Italic *d(r)(k)akrunā, from Proto-Indo-European *dáḱru- (“tear”).[1][2] The change of ⟨d⟩ to ⟨l⟩ is as in lingua.[1] Cognate with Ancient Greek δάκρυ (dákru, “tear”), Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌲𐍂 (tagr) and Old English tēar.[3][4] The OLD takes it as probably borrowed from Ancient Greek δάκρυμα (dákruma), but the TLL doubts that Latin would borrow a mostly poetic Greek word for so common a thing.[4][3] It is also spelled ⟨lacruma⟩, and ⟨lachryma⟩ in an inscription.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Livius Andronicus, whom he dates 280/260–before 200 BC.[5] The OLD's earliest citation for a tear is from Ennius.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant a tear, usually in the plural, as lacrimās effundere “to shed tears”, and the proverb nihil lacrimā citius ārēscit “nothing dries faster than a tear” is in the Rhetorica ad Herennium.[4][6] In the plural it meant weeping, and in Catullus a lament.[4] From Virgil it was also used of drops of juice or gum oozing from plants, and of quicksilver from ore.[4]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant a tear.[7] British Medieval Latin had vallis lacrimārum “vale of tears”, from the Psalms, and lacrimae siccae “crocodile tears”.[8] It survives in Italian lacrima, Spanish lágrima, French larme and Romanian lacrimă.[1]

Timeline

  • 280/260–before 200 BC – Livius Andronicus has the old form dacrima.[5][2]
  • 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of tears.[4][5]
  • 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus uses it of a lament.[4][5]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of plant juice.[4][5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A tear.[4]
  2. (plural) Weeping; a lament.[4]
  3. A drop of juice or gum from a plant.[4]

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  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 l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  8. ^ 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