Etymologically
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omnis

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈɔm.nɪs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈɔm.nis][1]

Forms

omnis (neuter omne); third-declension two-termination adjective[1]

Etymology

The origin is uncertain.[2][3] De Vaan considers Proto-Italic *op-ni-, an adjective in *-ni- meaning “working”, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁/₃ep-, since the lack of a change *omn- > *umn- suggests that ⟨mn⟩ came from another cluster; the stem is that of ops “wealth” and opus “work”.[4] Wiktionary gives the same derivation, with *h₃ep- “to work” and hence “to possess”.[1] Lewis and Short compared ambō and Ancient Greek ἀμφί (amphí).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler date it from Livius Andronicus.[4][6] Köbler places his career before 200 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

In the singular it meant the whole of something, as in omnem rem “the whole matter”, and also each or every, as in omnis aetās “every age”.[2] In the plural it meant all, either together or each one, and as a noun omnēs was everyone and omnia everything.[2] Phrases include ante omnia “above all” and per omnia “in every respect”.[2]

Döderlein contrasts quisque, quīvīs and quīlibet, which divide a whole into individuals, with omnēs, ūniversī and cūnctī, which denote the whole taken together.[7] In medieval Latin it could mean “whole, entire”, like tōtus, and with a negative “none”.[8] Its derivatives include omnīnō “altogether” and omnipotēns “almighty”.[4] The dative plural omnibus “for all” gave French voiture omnibus and English omnibus (1829).[9]

Timeline

  • before 200 BC – Livius Andronicus uses it.[4][6]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it in the singular of the whole thing.[2][6]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero speaks of a man worthy of every praise.[2][6]
  • 1829 – English omnibus is recorded, from the Latin dative plural.[9]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (singular) The whole of, all of.[2]
  2. (plural) All, the full number of.[2]
  3. (singular) Each, every.[2][1]
  4. All possible, every kind of.[2]
  5. (Medieval Latin) Whole, entire; with a negative, none.[8]

Noun

  1. omnēs (masculine plural), everyone, omnia (neuter plural), everything.[2][1]

Word family

  • omnicanus
  • omnicarpus
  • omniciēns
  • omnicolor
  • omnicreans
  • omnifārius
  • omnifluentia
  • omnifōrmis
  • omnigenus
  • omnimedens
  • omnimodus
  • omninominis

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com