moderate

Forms

moderātē (comparative moderātius, superlative moderātissimē)^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin moderātus (“restrained, moderate”) + -ē, the adverb of the participle of moderor (“to keep within bounds”).^[1][2] That verb belongs with modus (“measure”),^[3] which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *medo- (“measure, judgement”) and Proto-Indo-European *med-o- (“measure”).^[4] Cognate with Umbrian meřs (“law”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Cicero,^[2] who praises an act done “mercifully, mildly, justly, with restraint, wisely”.^[1]

Semantic evolution

It means with restraint or temperately, and moderate ferre is to bear something calmly, as in Cicero's men who could not bear their wealth with restraint.^[1] It also means to a moderate degree, moderately or gently, as in Cicero and in Celsus' medical advice.^[1] Church Latin glosses it “moderately”.^[5]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero of restrained conduct and of bearing wealth calmly.^[1][2]
• 14–37 AD – Celsus of moderate degree.^[1][2]

Meanings

Adverb

1. With restraint, temperately;^[1][6][3] moderate ferre, to bear calmly.^[1]
2. To a moderate extent, moderately; gently.^[1][5]

Related words

• moderātus
• moderor
• modus

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
3. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
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. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press