Etymologically
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lentus

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈɫɛn.tʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈlɛn.tus][1]

Forms

lentus (feminine lenta, neuter lentum, comparative lentior, superlative lentissimus, adverb lentē); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *lento- (“soft”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *lent-o- (“soft, pliant”).[2][1] Cognate with Lithuanian lentà (“board”) and dialectal Russian лут (lut, “bast”), and probably with words for the lime tree.[2][1] English lithe goes back to the same root.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler date it from Plautus.[2][4] Plautus speaks of tough elm rods.[5] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant pliant and supple, of willows, vines and limbs, then tough, not brittle, and sticky or viscous, as of dough in Cato.[5][6] From the idea of what yields slowly it came to mean slow in movement, long drawn out, persistent, slow to act, and of people slow to feel, cold and unmoved.[5] Cicero says he is thought too patient and lentus.[5]

In medieval Latin it kept the sense flexible.[7] It survives in Italian lento, French lent and Spanish lento, and Italian lento came into English as a musical direction in 1724.[1][3]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus speaks of tough elm rods.[5][4]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato tells how to knead dough until it is sticky.[5][4]
  • 1724 – English lento is recorded as a musical direction.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Flexible, pliant.[5]
  2. Tough, not brittle.[5]
  3. Sticky, viscous.[5]
  4. Slow, sluggish; long drawn out.[5]
  5. Persistent.[5]
  6. Tardy, procrastinating.[5]
  7. Unmoved, unresponsive, cold.[5]

Word family

  • lenteō
  • lentipēs
  • lentitiēs
  • lentor
  • lentulus
  • lentitia
  • lentē
  • lentēscō
  • lentitūdō
  • English lithe
  • English lento

Usage notes

Döderlein says that tardus stresses the time spent and is opposed to citus, while lentus stresses the calm of the movement and is opposed to ācer.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c 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 c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ 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
  8. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper