olidus

Forms

olidus (feminine olida, neuter olidum); first/second-declension adjective^[1] Tironian notes have the spelling ⟨oledus⟩.^[2]

Etymology

It is from Latin oleō (“to smell”) + -idus.^[3][2][4] De Vaan lists ⟨olēre⟩ under odor (“smell”), with the change of /d/ to /l/ seen in some forms; both go back to Proto-Italic *ode/o- (“to smell”) and Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- (“to smell”).^[5] Cognate with Ancient Greek ὄζω (ózō, “to smell”) and Lithuanian úosti (“to smell, sniff”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLL and Köbler find it first in Horace,^[2][6] whose Epistles use olidae caprae, stinking goats, of the smell of the armpits.^[3][7]

Semantic evolution

It is mostly a post-Augustan word, usually of a bad smell, stinking or rank.^[8][3] Seneca uses it, Petronius has basiis olidissimis inquinavit, “defiled us with most foul-smelling kisses”, and Martial and Juvenal use it of garments dyed with purple and of a brothel.^[3][8] Columella, however, uses it in a good sense of pitched vessels that smell well, bene olida.^[3][9]

Glossaries render it with the Greek for ill-smelling and with foetidus.^[2] Aldhelm writes of stinking entrails, olidas fibras,^[10] and Old English glosses render it with ful, “foul”.^[6][10]

Timeline

• 65–8 BC – Horace uses it of the smell of goats.^[3][6]
• 1st century AD – Columella uses it of vessels that smell well.^[3][6]
• before 66 AD – Petronius uses the superlative of kisses.^[3][6]
• c. 67–c. 127 AD – Juvenal uses it of a brothel.^[3][6]
• 639–709 AD – Aldhelm uses it of stinking entrails.^[10][6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Having an offensive smell, stinking, rank.^[3][8]
2. Smelling, fragrant (with bene).^[3][9]

Related words

• oleō
• odor
• olfaciō

Usage notes

Döderlein notes that oleō is to smell in itself, especially of a rank or bad smell.^[11]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ 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
4. ^ Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier
5. ^ a b 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 f g Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
10. ^ a b c 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
11. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper