Etymologically
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ornate

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [oːrˈnaː.teː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [orˈnaː.te][1]

Forms

ōrnātē (comparative ōrnātius, superlative ōrnātissimē)[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin ōrnātus (“equipped, adorned”) + -ē.[2][3][4] The adjective is the participle of ōrnō (“to equip, adorn”), which de Vaan explains as the original denominal verb of ōrdō (“row, order”), from a form *ōrd-n-āre.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Cicero,[3] who has a banquet prepared magnificently and lavishly.[2][6][4]

Semantic evolution

It means with lavish appointments, richly, and of style with rhetorical embellishment, ornately.[2] The Rhetorica ad Herennium speaks of treating arguments ornately and completely, and Cicero has speaking aptly, clearly and ornately and defending a case most ornately and fully.[2][7][4] Georges calls it a rhetorical term in this sense.[4]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of a lavish banquet and of ornate speech.[2][7][3]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. Richly, lavishly, with taste.[2][4]
  2. (rhetoric) In an ornate style, elegantly.[2][7][1][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c d e f Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  6. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  7. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press