Etymologically
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mirus

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈmiː.rʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈmiː.rus][1]

Forms

mīrus (feminine mīra, neuter mīrum, comparative mīrior, superlative mīrissimus); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *smeiro-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *sméi-ro- (“laughing”), from the root *smey- “to smile”.[2][1] Cognate with Sanskrit स्मेर (smera, “smiling”), Ancient Greek μειδιάω (meidiáō, “to smile”) and Old English smǣre (“lip”), and with English smile.[2][3][4] De Vaan notes that Ernout and Meillet and Sihler doubt whether “laughing” could lead to “astonishing”.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler date it from Livius Andronicus.[2][5] Köbler places his career before 200 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant extraordinary, remarkable or astonishing, often in the sense of remarkably great or good, as in Plautus' “a remarkable and great deed” and Cicero's ō impudentiam mīram! “what astonishing impudence!”.[3] It was mostly used predicatively, mīrum est “it is surprising”, and in nec mīrum “and no wonder” and nīmīrum “doubtless”.[2][3]

The verb mīror “to wonder at” is from it, and through mīrāculum and admīror it lies behind English miracle and English admire.[6] Vulgar Latin *mīrāre “to look at” gave Old French mireoir and English mirror, and mīrābilia gave English marvel.[6]

Timeline

  • before 200 BC – Livius Andronicus uses it.[2][5]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus speaks of a remarkable and great deed.[3][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero exclaims at astonishing impudence.[3][5]
  • mid-12th century – English miracle is recorded.[6]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Extraordinary, remarkable, astonishing.[3]
  2. mīrum est, it is surprising, nec mīrum, and no wonder.[3]

Word family

  • mīrificō
  • mīrificus
  • mīrimodīs
  • mīriō
  • permīrus
  • nīmīrum

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com