noxa

Forms

noxa f (genitive noxae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is related to noceō “to harm”, from ⟨*noc-sa⟩.^[2][3] De Vaan takes ⟨noxa⟩ as formed secondarily beside ⟨noceō⟩, which he traces to Proto-Italic *nokeje- (“to cause death”), Proto-Indo-European *noḱ-éye- (“to make disappear, cause death”), cognate with Sanskrit नाशयति (nāśáyati, “destroys”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is Livius Andronicus, of wrongdoing.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

It meant injurious behaviour, wrongdoing, an offence, as in Livius Andronicus; in law the damage done by a child, slave or animal for which the head of the family was liable, as in Varro; apparently punishment, as in Accius, inferred from phrases such as noxae dēdere; and harm, injury, as in Ovid's sine ūllīus noxā “without harm to anyone”.^[2][6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it means injury, offence, crime, punishment, fault, sin.^[7] British Medieval Latin used it for harm, injury.^[8]

Timeline

• 280/260–before 200 BC – Livius Andronicus uses it.^[2][5]
• 170–c. 90 BC – Accius uses it of punishment.^[2][5]
• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it in law.^[2][5]
• 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid uses it of harm.^[2][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. Wrongdoing, an offence.^[2][7]
2. (law) Damage for which the head of a household was liable.^[2]
3. Punishment.^[2]
4. Harm, injury.^[2][3]

Word family

• noxālis
• noxialis
• noxiōsus
• noxitūdō
• noxius
• obnoxius

Related words

• nex
• necō
• noceō
• noxia

Usage notes

Lewis & Short refer to Döderlein's synonyms for the difference from noxia.^[3]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ 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 Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press