Etymologically
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luculentus

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ɫuː.kʊˈɫɛn.tʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [lu.kuˈlɛn.tus][1]

Forms

lūculentus (feminine lūculenta, neuter lūculentum, superlative lūculentissimus, adverb lūculenter); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin lūx (“light”) + -ulentus (“full of”),[2][1] formed like opulentus from ops, as the TLL notes.[3] De Vaan traces lūx to Proto-Italic *louk- (“light”) and Proto-Indo-European *leuk- (“light”).[4] The epitome of Festus already explained it as named from light.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Plautus on,[4][5] who has it of a bright, splendid vestibule in the Mostellaria and of a fine-looking woman in the Miles gloriosus (luculenta ac festiva femina).[6][2]

Semantic evolution

The literal sense “full of light, bright” is rare: Cicero writes of a stove with a good fire in it (camino luculento).[6] The usual sense is “excellent of its kind, splendid, fine”:[2][6] of riches and an inheritance in Plautus, of a fortune in Cicero,[2][6] of a legion, a style of speech, a writer or a witness worthy of trust.[6] Cicero also uses it ironically of a serious wound, “a fine wound, as the scar shows”.[2][6] Döderlein notes that it means what may be seen and need not shun the light, so that it never gives emphatic praise, unlike illūstris.[7] The comparative is found from Cicero on.[3] The adverbs are lūculentē and lūculenter.[6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it means bright, splendid and excellent.[8] British medieval writers used it of fine appearance, of a keen mind, of eminent people, and of eloquent writing.[9]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of a vestibule, of riches and of a woman.[6][2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of a fire, and ironically of a wound.[6][2][5]
  • 1st century AD – Columella uses it of possessions.[2][5]
  • 40–102/103 AD – Martial uses it of a good-looking Attis.[2][5]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Full of light, bright.[6]
  2. Excellent, splendid, fine.[2][6]
  3. Considerable, rich (of wealth and possessions).[2][6]
  4. (ironic) Fine, serious (of something bad).[2][6]
  5. Fine-looking, beautiful.[2]
  6. Trustworthy (of a witness or writer).[6]

Word family

  • luculentaster
  • luculentia
  • lūculentitās

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  9. ^ 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