Etymologically
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nedum

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈneː.dũː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈnɛː.dum][1]

Forms

nēdum [1]

Etymology

It is from Latin nē (“not”) + dum (“while”), literally while not.[2][3][1] The TLL explains the second part as an accusative of a pronoun stem ⟨*do-⟩, as the feminine ⟨*dam⟩ in quīdam (“a certain one”).[4] De Vaan derives nē from Proto-Italic *nē and Proto-Indo-European *nē, a stressed variant of the negation *ne (“not”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Terence,[6] whose Heauton Timorumenos says that a satrap in love could never bear the expenses, much less you.[3][2]

Semantic evolution

It shows that, as one thing is not so, another can be still less so.[3] With a verb in the subjunctive it means still less, as in Terence; without a verb it introduces a single word, not to speak of or let alone, as Cicero writes that a house in Rome suits his friend better than the whole Peloponnese, let alone Patrae.[2] The TLL notes that in poetry it occurs only once or twice each in Terence, Lucretius, Horace and Propertius.[4] Church Latin glosses it to say nothing of, much less, by no means.[7]

Timeline

  • 190–159 BC – Terence of what a lover could not afford.[2][6]
  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it once or twice.[4][6]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero in the sense let alone.[2][6]

Meanings

Conjunction

  1. With a subjunctive, still less, much less.[2][3][1]
  2. Without a verb, not to speak of, let alone.[2][7][1]

References

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