Etymologically
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molestus

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [mɔˈɫɛs.tʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [moˈlɛs.tus][1]

Forms

molestus (feminine molesta, neuter molestum, comparative molestior, superlative molestissimus); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is related to mōlēs (“mass, burden; effort”) and formed like modestus.[2][3][1][4] De Vaan, following Schrijver, derives it from ⟨*melesto-⟩, built on a lost neuter s-stem ⟨*melos⟩ “trouble, obstacle”, Proto-Italic *mel-e/os- (“trouble”), Proto-Indo-European *mel-e/os-, with ⟨mo-⟩ taken from ⟨*molos⟩.[5][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler date it from Plautus,[5][4] who has numquidnam tibi molestumst, gnāte mī, sī haec nunc mēcum accubat?, “you don't mind, do you, my son, if she reclines with me now?”, and abscēde hinc, molestus nē sīs!, “go away, don't be a nuisance!”.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

Molestus is “troublesome, annoying, vexing, distressing, tiresome”, of people and things (Cicero: a troublesome province; laborious and wearisome toil).[2][6][1] The TLL notes that the comparative molestior is found from Cicero on, while Terence still has magis molestus.[3] The tunica molesta was a garment smeared with combustible materials in which criminals were burned alive (Martial).[2]

Church Latin glosses it “troublesome, burdensome, annoying, grievous”.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: molestus nē sīs!.[2][6][4]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence: magis molestus.[3][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero: prōvincia molesta.[6][4]
  • 40–102/103 AD – Martial: tunica molesta.[2][4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Troublesome, annoying, irksome, tiresome.[2][6][1][7]
  2. Distressing, grievous.[2][6][1]
  3. tunica molesta, the combustible shirt in which criminals were burned alive.[2]

Word family

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 h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson