Etymologically
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obscenus

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ɔpˈskeː.nʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [obˈʃɛː.nus][1]

Forms

obscēnus (feminine obscēna, neuter obscēnum, superlative obscēnissimus); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

The origin is uncertain.[2][1] Lewis & Short and Georges derive it from ob and caenum “filth, mud”.[3][4] Pokorny, as Wiktionary reports, traces it to Proto-Indo-European *ḱweyn- (“to soil; mud”), with inquinō and caenum, though de Vaan calls a link between caenum and inquinō formally impossible.[1][5] Spellings obscaenus and opscēnus are found.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus applies it to the private parts.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense in religion was ill-boding, ominous, as Lucilius' prayer that the king of the gods avert ill-omened words, Cicero, and Virgil's birds of ill omen.[2][7] It meant disgusting or filthy, as Virgil's Harpies and Ovid's foul laughter, and of the sexual and excretory parts and functions.[2][4]

Of language and conduct it meant indecent, obscene, as Cicero's “a most obscene story” and his discussion of whether anything is obscene to say.[2] As a noun it meant a foul-mouthed person or a pervert.[2] English obscene was borrowed from French in the 1590s.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of the private parts.[2][6]
  • c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius uses it of ill-omened words.[2][6]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of an obscene story.[2][6]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of the Harpies.[4][6]
  • 1590s – English obscene is borrowed.[8]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Ill-boding, ominous.[2][1]
  2. Filthy, disgusting, loathsome.[2][1]
  3. Of the sexual or excretory parts.[2]
  4. Indecent, obscene, lewd.[2][1]

Noun

  1. A pervert; a foul-mouthed person.[2]

Word family

  • obscēnitās
  • subobscēnus

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com