Etymologically
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libenter

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [lɪˈbɛn.tɛr][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [liˈbɛn.ter][1]

Forms

libenter (comparative libentius, superlative libentissimē)[1] The older spelling is lubenter.[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin libēns (“willing, glad”) + -ter, the adverb of that participle of libet (“it pleases”).[2][1][4] De Vaan derives libet, older ⟨lubet⟩, from Proto-Italic *luf-ē- (“to desire”), from Proto-Indo-European *lubʰ-eh₁- (“to please”), cognate with Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐍆𐍃 (liufs, “dear”) and Old Church Slavonic любъ (ljubŭ, “sweet, pleasant”); the vowel /u/ became /i/ between a dark /l/ and /b/.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler first records it in Cato.[4] De Vaan dates the verb libet (lubet) from Plautus.[5]

Semantic evolution

Libenter is “with pleasure, willingly, gladly”.[2][3][1] Wiktionary adds the nuances “eagerly” and “with vigour, with enthusiasm”.[1]

Timeline

  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses it.[4]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. willingly, gladly, with pleasure.[2][3][1]
  2. Eagerly, with enthusiasm.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill