onustus

Forms

onustus (feminine onusta, neuter onustum); first/second-declension adjective^[1] Gellius cites honustus as an archaic spelling.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin onus (“load, burden”) + -tus.^[2][1] De Vaan explains it as a derivative in ⟨-to-⟩ of the s-stem, ⟨*onos-to-⟩.^[4] He traces ⟨onus⟩ to Proto-Italic *ones- and Proto-Indo-European *h₃en-os (“load”), cognate with Sanskrit अनस् (ánas-, “heavy cart”); a link with Hittite anniya- (“to work”) is not compelling in meaning.^[4] Wiktionary also allows that the formation is already Indo-European, comparing Ancient Greek ὀνοστός (onostós).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler date it from Naevius.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

It means “loaded, laden”, of ships, carts and animals: Caesar's Bibulus hoped to meet laden ships but met empty ones.^[2][3] With a genitive or ablative it is “laden with, full of”, as Cicero's ships loaded with grain, and it is used of trees heavy with fruit.^[2][3] It also means heavily laden, as Horace's guest sent away loaded with gifts, and abundantly supplied, as Sallust's fertile land full of booty; and weighed down, as by armour or chains.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 235–200 BC – Naevius.^[4][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of ships laden with grain.^[3][5]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar of laden ships.^[2][5]
• 86–34 BC – Sallust of land full of booty.^[2][5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Loaded, laden, freighted (with a genitive or ablative).^[2][3][1]
2. Heavily laden; abundantly supplied.^[2]
3. Weighed down, burdened.^[2][1]

Word family

• sēmionustus

Related words

• onus

References

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