nimius

Forms

nimius (feminine nimia, neuter nimium); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

De Vaan takes it for a recent adjective made from the adverb nimis (“too much”);^[2][1] the OLD compares that word.^[3] For the origin of nimis, explained by Meiser as ⟨*ne meis⟩ “not too little”, see that entry.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler date it from Naevius.^[2][4] Plautus has nē nimiō opere sūmat operam, “that he should not take too much trouble”, and nimia memorās mīra, “you tell of very great wonders”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Nimius is “excessive, too great, immoderate” of qualities and conditions, and of things “too much, superabundant” (Terence: quor … vestītū nimiō indulgēs?, “why do you indulge in too much finery?”).^[3][5][1] Of persons it is “intemperate, going too far”, as Statius calls himself nimius … avidusque dolōris, “excessive and greedy in grief”.^[3] Without any idea of excess it means “very great, extraordinary”, as in early Latin (Plautus: dīvitiās nimiās, “enormous wealth”).^[3][1]

Church Latin glosses it “excessive, too great”, and the neuter as a noun “excess”.^[6] In Medieval Latin it often means “great, rich, eminent”.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it.^[2][4]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: nimia memorās mīra.^[3][4]
• 190–159 BC – Terence: vestītū nimiō.^[3][4]
• c. 45–96 AD – Statius: nimius … avidusque dolōris.^[3][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. excessive, too great, immoderate.^[3][5][1][6]
2. Too much, superabundant; redundant (of writings).^[3]
3. Intemperate, extravagant (of persons).^[3]
4. Very great, extraordinary.^[3][1][7]

Word family

• nimietās
• nimiopere
• nimium
• pernimius
• nimiō

Related words

• nimis

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 f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill