necubi

Forms

nēcubī̆ (not comparable)^[1] It is also written as two words, ⟨nē cubi⟩.^[2]

Etymology

It is formed from nē¹ (“lest, that not”) and an old form ⟨*cubi⟩ of ubī (“where”), whose initial consonant survives only in compounds such as alicubi (“somewhere”).^[2][3][1] De Vaan traces ⟨ubī⟩ to Proto-Italic *kʷuþei (“where”), which he finds slightly more likely than *kʷubʰei, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷu-dʰi (“where”).^[4] Cognate with Oscan puf (“where”), Umbrian pufe (“where”), Sanskrit कुह (kúha, “where”) and Avestan kudā (“where”).^[4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler date it from Varro,^[4][5] whose farm manual says that one must see to it that water nowhere stands.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

It introduces a clause of purpose or fear, meaning that nowhere or lest anywhere.^[2][7] Caesar has scouts posted so that the Romans might nowhere bring troops across,^[2][6] and Livy a general careful never to engage the enemy on equal ground;^[2][7] Curtius, Columella and Lucan use it too.^[2][7] It also meant lest on any occasion: Livy says a king of sacrifices was created so that the people would not miss the kings, and Apuleius uses it of holding back praise.^[2] Lewis and Short note that it is not in Cicero.^[7]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of water that must nowhere stand.^[2][5]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar uses it of scouts posted against a crossing.^[2][5]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it in the sense “lest on any occasion”.^[2][5]
• 1st century AD – Columella uses it in his work on farming.^[2][5]
• c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius uses it of holding back praise.^[2][5]

Meanings

Adverb

1. That nowhere, lest anywhere.^[2][7]
2. Lest at any time, lest on any occasion.^[2]

Related words

• ubī
• alicubi
• sīcubi

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c 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 d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press