Etymologically
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magnificus

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [maŋˈnɪ.fɪ.kʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [maɲˈɲiː.fi.kus][1]

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

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