notabilis

Forms

notābilis (neuter notābile, adverb notābiliter); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin notō (“to mark, note”) + -bilis.^[2][1] The verb is from nota (“mark”),^[3] whose origin de Vaan leaves open: it cannot come from the root of “to know”, and Schrijver's tentative derivation from a root seen in sentiō (“to perceive”) meets a difficulty.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Cicero,^[4] who writes of events that end in a remarkable outcome;^[2][5] Lewis & Short note it perhaps only once in Cicero and not at all in Caesar.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

It became common only from the Augustan age.^[5] It means worth noticing, remarkable or striking, and in Tacitus of persons, eminent.^[2] It is also easily seen or conspicuous, as in the elder Seneca's “whatever is unusual is conspicuous even in a crowd”, and perceptible, as Seneca's foundations of famous cities that can hardly be made out.^[2] Seneca also uses it of waters that cannot be told by smell or taste.^[2]

Church Latin glosses it “notable, remarkable, distinguished”.^[6]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero of a remarkable outcome.^[2][5][4]
• 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca of what can hardly be perceived.^[2][4]
• 98–115 AD – Tacitus of an eminent person.^[2][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Remarkable, noteworthy, striking; of persons, eminent.^[2][5][1]
2. Easily seen, conspicuous; perceptible.^[2][5]
3. Distinguishable, identifiable.^[2]

Related words

• notō
• nota

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson