Etymologically
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obsum

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈɔp.sũː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈɔb.sum][1]

Forms

obsum (present infinitive obesse, perfect active obfuī, future active participle obfutūrus); irregular conjugation, suppletive, no passive, no supine stem except in the future active participle, no gerund[1] The perfect is also spelled offuī, and the prefix ops-.[2] Terence has the old subjunctive obsiet.[2] Festus (in Paul the Deacon) records a future obescet, glossed “will harm or will help”.[3][4]

Etymology

It is a compound of ob- (“against”) and sum (“to be”).[2][1] De Vaan lists it among the derivatives of ⟨sum⟩, which goes back to Proto-Italic *es- and Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- (“to be”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan gives Plautus as its first author.[3][5]

Semantic evolution

It is to be a hindrance or disadvantage, to do harm, usually with the dative, and is the opposite of prōsum “to be of use”.[2][4] With the dative it is also to tell against someone, to damage their reputation, as Terence's “so that the name of gain may not tell against me”.[2] Church Latin glosses it “be against, be prejudicial to, hinder, injure”.[4][6]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus.[3][5]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence of harming a reputation, with the old subjunctive obsiet.[2][5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To be a hindrance or disadvantage (to), be prejudicial, do harm; the opposite of prōdesse.[2][4][1]
  2. (with dative) To tell against (someone), damage the reputation of.[2]

References

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