lis

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈliːs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈlis]^[1]

Forms

līs f (genitive lītis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Old Latin stlīs, probably inherited from Proto-Italic *slīti- (“accusation, dispute”), perhaps Proto-Indo-European *sliH-ti-.^[2][1] Joseph connected it with Old Irish líthech (“accused person”) and Old Irish liid (“accuses”).^[2] Following Schindler, de Vaan suggests that slīs, found in one inscription of the 2nd century BC, is older, and that ⟨stl⟩ was a way of writing the rare cluster /sl/, which survived only in archaisms, so that an Italo-Celtic root *sliH- “to dispute, accuse” can be reconstructed.^[2] The TLL calls the origin uncertain, and Gusmani connects it with Proto-Germanic *sleitan “to split”.^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from the Twelve Tables.^[2][4] Köbler dates them about 450 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant a dispute at law, a lawsuit, as Plautus' character who has lost his case.^[5] In general it meant a dispute or quarrel, as Plautus' sī quis pugnam exspectat, lītēs contrahat “if anyone wants a fight, let him pick quarrels”.^[5][6] The old form survived in the title decemvirī stlītibus iūdicandīs, the board of ten for judging lawsuits.^[5] From it came lītigō “to go to law” and lītigium “quarrel”.^[2]

In Medieval Latin it meant a lawsuit, and also a battle or war.^[7][8] It survives in Spanish lid and Italian lite.^[1] English litigate, from lītigāre, is recorded in the 1610s.^[9]

Timeline

• c. 450 BC – The Twelve Tables use it.^[2][4]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of lawsuits and quarrels.^[5][4]
• 190–159 BC – Terence uses it.^[5][4]
• 1610s – English litigate is recorded.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. A dispute at law, lawsuit.^[5]
2. A dispute, quarrel.^[5]
3. (Medieval Latin) A battle, war.^[8]

Word family

• lītiger
• lītigō

Related words

• English litigate

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. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d e f g 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. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com