nummarius

Forms

nummārius (feminine nummāria, neuter nummārium); first/second-declension adjective^[1] Some manuscripts have nūmārius.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin nummus (“coin”) + -ārius.^[4][1] nummus is related, at least ultimately, to Ancient Greek νόμος (nómos, “custom, law”), its first meaning being the regular unit of currency;^[4] Wiktionary takes it from the Doric form νοῦμμος (noûmmos).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Lucilius and Novius.^[5] Lucilius uses it of a man who can be bought, and Novius has a money chest, arcam nummariam.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It means of or relating to coins, and rēs nummāria is the currency;^[4] more widely it is financial or pecuniary, as Cicero's man in the greatest money difficulty and his money box, thēca nummāria.^[4][2] Of persons it means capable of being bribed, venal.^[4][1] In Church Latin it is of money, venal or mercenary.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius, of a venal man.^[4][5]
• 1st century BC – Novius, of a money chest.^[4][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero, of money difficulties and a money box.^[4][2][5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of coins or money;^[4][2][1] rēs nummāria, the currency.^[4][2][1]
2. Financial, pecuniary.^[4][2]
3. That can be bribed, venal, mercenary.^[4][1][3]

Related words

• nummus
• nummulārius

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de