libidinosus

Forms

libīdinōsus (feminine libīdinōsa, neuter libīdinōsum, comparative libīdinōsior, superlative libīdinōsissimus, adverb libīdinōsē); first/second-declension adjective^[1] The older spelling lubīdinōsus is also found.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin libīdō (“desire, lust”) + -ōsus.^[2][1][4] The noun is made from libet (“it pleases”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *luf-ē- (“to desire”) and Proto-Indo-European *lubʰ-eh₁- (“to please”).^[5] Cognate with Oscan loufir (“or”), Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐍆𐍃 (liufs, “dear”) and Old High German liob (“dear, sweet”).^[5] Varro derived libīdō from ⟨lubendo⟩, and Isidore explains the libidinous man as one who does what he pleases.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Cicero,^[6] who calls Verres a self-willed and cruel tyrant.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It means self-willed, arbitrary or capricious, as in Cicero and Nepos, and of prices extravagant, as in Columella.^[2] More often it is lustful, licentious or libidinous, as Cicero's “a most shameful, most lustful and most worthless man”, and of actions and writings wanton.^[2][3] Wiktionary also gives passionate and yearning for something.^[1] English libidinous (mid-15th century) came through Old French or directly from Latin.^[7]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero of a capricious tyrant and of lustful men.^[2][6]
• c. 100–24 BC – Nepos in the sense arbitrary.^[2][6]
• 1st century AD – Columella of extravagant prices.^[2][6]
• mid-15th century – English libidinous.^[7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Self-willed, arbitrary, capricious; of prices, extravagant.^[2][3]
2. Lustful, licentious, libidinous.^[2][3][1]
3. Passionate; yearning for something.^[1]

Related words

• libet
• libīdinōsē
• libīdinōsitās
• libīdō
• libita

References

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