oblivium

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ɔbˈliː.wi.ũː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [obˈliː.vi.um]^[1]

Forms

oblīvium n (genitive oblīviī or oblīvī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin oblīvīscor (“to forget”) + -ium.^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's earliest source is Lucretius, and Gaffiot cites him.^[3][4] Köbler dates Lucretius 96–55 BC.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant forgetfulness, oblivion, usually in the plural, as in Lucretius' oblīvia rērum, Virgil and Horace, and Lewis & Short call it poetic, found once in Tacitus, for the usual oblīviō.^[2][5][4]

British Medieval Latin used it for forgetting, forgetfulness.^[6]

Timeline

• 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it.^[4][3]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it.^[4][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. Forgetfulness, oblivion.^[2][5]

Related words

• oblīvīscor
• oblīviō
• oblīviōsus

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ 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