Etymologically
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magnopere

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [maŋˈnɔ.pɛ.rɛ][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [maɲˈɲɔː.pe.re][1]

Forms

magnopere (comparative magis, superlative maximē or maximopere)[1] Plautus, Caesar, Livy and Seneca write it as one word, but the best manuscripts of Terence, Cicero and Pliny the Elder have magnō opere.[2] The comparative is magis and the superlative maximē or maximopere.[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin magnō (“great”) + opere (“work”), the ablative of ⟨magnum opus⟩, so literally with great labour.[2][1][3] De Vaan traces magnus to Proto-Italic *magno- (“great”) and Proto-Indo-European *mǵ-no- (“great”), and opus to *opes- (“work”) and *h₃ep-os (“work”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Plautus.[3]

Semantic evolution

From with great labour it came to mean very much, greatly or exceedingly, and earnestly or urgently.[2][1] Döderlein notes that valdē, admodum and multum strengthen an adjective or a verb, but magnopere only a verb.[5] Church Latin glosses it greatly, very much, exceedingly.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus writes it as one word.[2][3]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero writes magnō opere.[2][3]
  • c. 50 BC – Caesar writes it as one word.[2][3]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. Very much, greatly, exceedingly.[2][6][1]
  2. Earnestly, urgently.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson