Etymologically
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municeps

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈmuː.nɪ.kɛps][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈmuː.ni.t͡ʃeps][1]

Forms

mūniceps m or f (genitive mūnicipis); third declension[1] The genitive plural is usually mūnicipum, and the Tabula Heracleensis has mūnicipium.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from mūnia “duties, obligations” and ⟨-ceps⟩ “taker”, from capiō “to take”, so “one who takes on obligations”.[2][4][3] De Vaan explains it from ⟨*mūnia-kap-s⟩, or as a back-formation from mūnicipium, and derives ⟨mūnia⟩ and mūnus from the stems ⟨*mūnos-⟩ and ⟨*mūni-⟩ “function, obligation”.[4][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Lucilius, of a fellow townsman.[2] Köbler dates Lucilius c. 180–102 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant a citizen of a mūnicipium, a municipal town, as in Cicero, and a native of the same town, a fellow townsman, as in Lucilius.[2][6]

In Medieval Latin it meant a castellan, and in the plural the garrison of a castle.[7] British Medieval Latin used it for a native or inhabitant of a town.[8] Its derivative mūnicipālis gave English municipal.[9]

Timeline

  • c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius uses it.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of citizens of a municipium.[2][5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A citizen of a mūnicipium.[2]
  2. A fellow townsman.[2]
  3. (Medieval Latin) A castellan.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  8. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  9. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com