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nimis

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈnɪ.mɪs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈniː.mis][1]

Forms

nimis (not comparable)[1]

Etymology

De Vaan, following Meiser, explains it as ⟨*nimīs⟩, shortened by iambic shortening, from ⟨*ne meis⟩ “not too little, quite a lot”: the negation nē with an adverb Proto-Italic *meis of an adjective “little, few”, from Proto-Indo-European *m(e)ih₁-is- (“less”), the root of minor.[2] Köbler also derives it from nē and Proto-Indo-European *meyh₁- (“to lessen”).[3] Wiktionary instead takes it from ⟨ne-⟩ and Proto-Indo-European *meh₁- (“to measure”), the root of mētior, as L&S did.[1][4] The OLD calls it doubtful.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Livius Andronicus.[2][3] Plautus has numquam … nimis cūrāre possunt suom parentem fīliae, “daughters can never care too much for their father”.[5]

Semantic evolution

Nimis is “too much, excessively, unduly” (Terence: nimis mē indulgeō, “I indulge myself too much”), and with a negative “not greatly, none too”.[5][4][1] In early Latin it often means simply “very much, exceedingly”, with no idea of excess.[5][1] It is also found as an indeclinable noun, “too much”.[5]

The adjective nimius and the adverb nimium were made from it.[2]

Timeline

  • 280/260–before 200 BC – Livius Andronicus uses it.[2][3]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: numquam … nimis cūrāre possunt.[5][3]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence: nimis mē indulgeō.[5][3]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. Too much, excessively, unduly.[5][4][1]
  2. nōn nimis: not greatly, none too.[5]
  3. Very much, exceedingly.[5][1]

Noun

  1. (indeclinable) Too much, an excess.[5]

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 de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press