opprobrium

Forms

opprobrium n (genitive opprobriī or opprobrī); second declension^[1] It is also spelled obprobrium.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin opprobrō (“to reproach”) + -ium.^[2][3][4] De Vaan lists it, with opprobrō, under probrum “disgrace”, which he explains as an old adjective Proto-Italic *pro-fr-o-, from Proto-Indo-European *pro-bʰr-o-, “what is brought up against someone”, from the root “to bring”, comparing Sanskrit प्रभर् (pra-bhar-, “to bring, offer”).^[5] Cassiodorus explains it as set against probus “honest”.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Lucretius,^[5] who says that when the iron sword came forth the bronze sickle fell into disgrace.^[2] Köbler dates it from Catullus.^[6]

Semantic evolution

It is reproach incurred, shame, scandal, and an expression of reproach, a taunt: Horace offers to recant his insults provided she becomes his friend.^[2] It is also a source of shame: the letters to Caesar ascribed to Sallust speak of things that would be disgraces to a victory, and Nepos has a man fearing he would bring reproach on his city.^[2][3] Lewis & Short note that it is not found in Cicero or Caesar, and give dedecus, probrum and infamia as synonyms.^[3] Church Latin glosses it reproach, taunt, derision, disgrace.^[7] English opprobrium dates from the 1680s, after an earlier ⟨opprobry⟩ of the early 15th century.^[8]

Timeline

• 96–55 BC – Lucretius of the bronze sickle disgraced.^[2][5][6]
• 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus.^[6]
• c. 100–24 BC – Nepos of a reproach to a city.^[3][6]
• 65–8 BC – Horace of recanted insults.^[2][6]
• 1680s – English opprobrium.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. Reproach, shame, disgrace, scandal.^[2][3][1][7]
2. An insult, taunt.^[2][1][7]
3. A source of shame.^[2]

Word family

• opprobriōsus

Related words

• probrum
• English opprobrium

References

1. ^ a b c d e 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 f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com