ludibundus

Forms

lūdibundus (feminine lūdibunda, neuter lūdibundum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin lūdō (“to play”) + -bundus.^[2][1] The verb goes back to Proto-Italic *loid-e/o- (“to play”) and Proto-Indo-European *loid- (“to let go frequently, play”); de Vaan takes it as an o-grade present with frequentative meaning.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Plautus (c. 250–184 BC) on,^[3][4] in the Pseudolus: “wrapped like this in a little cloak, I have strolled along here merrily” (sic palliolatim amictus hac incessi ludibundus).^[5]

Semantic evolution

Like other adjectives in -bundus, it names the attitude or mood of someone playing rather than the action itself.^[6] Livy has soldiers returning so merrily that they seemed to come from a feast,^[5] Suetonius, in his life of Nero, roaming the streets in sport,^[5] and Gellius playful eyes full of enticement;^[5] Gellius also discusses its meaning at length.^[6] Cicero uses it in a transferred sense, of doing something with ease and without danger: “you will get everything done without any trouble” (omnia ludibundus conficies).^[2][5]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of someone strolling about merrily.^[5][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it in the sense “carefree, without difficulty”.^[2][5][4]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of soldiers returning in high spirits.^[5][4]
• c. 75–c. 150 AD – Suetonius uses it of roaming the streets in sport.^[5][4]
• c. 165 AD – Gellius uses it of playful eyes and discusses its meaning.^[5][6][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Having fun, frolicking, playful, merry.^[2][5]
2. (transferred) Carefree; doing something with ease and without danger.^[2][5]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d e f 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 Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften