magnificus

Forms

magnificus (feminine magnifica, neuter magnificum, comparative magnificentior, superlative magnificentissimus, adverb magnificē); first/second-declension adjective^[1] It is also spelled magnuficus.^[2] Its comparison is magnificentior, magnificentissimus;^[2][3] Festus reports older magnificior and magnificissimus, and Accius has the latter.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin magnus (“great”) + -ficus (“making, doing”), from faciō.^[2][1] De Vaan traces ⟨magnus⟩ to Proto-Italic *magno- (“great”) and Proto-Indo-European *mǵ-no- (“great”), cognate with Old Irish maige (“large”) and Sanskrit महि (máhi-, “great”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus, Asinaria: faciō facētum mē atque magnificum virum, “I make myself out a witty and splendid man”.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Magnificus is splendid and excellent, of persons, deeds (Cicero: what is so powerful and magnificent as to sway the people by speech?), ideas, and a grand style of oratory.^[2] Of behaviour it is lavish, as Terence's mistress who is “powerful, forward, lavish, extravagant”; of things it is sumptuous, of vessels and games.^[2] Plautus also uses it for boastful and bragging, of persons and of words: tua magnifica verba, “your grand words”.^[2]

Church Latin glosses it “glorious, sublime, rich”.^[5] In medieval Latin vir magnificus is a well-born freeman.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of a splendid man and of boasting.^[2][7]
• 190–159 BC – Terence of a lavish mistress.^[2][7]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of great deeds, a grand style and sumptuous games.^[2][7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. magnificent, splendid, excellent; noble, eminent.^[2][1][5]
2. Lavish; sumptuous, costly.^[2][1]
3. (of style) Grand, lofty.^[2]
4. boastful, bragging.^[2]
5. (Medieval Latin) vir magnificus: a well-born freeman.^[6]

Word family

• permagnificus

Related words

• magnus
• magnificentia
• magnificē

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
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 Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
6. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de