parabilis

Forms

parābilis (neuter parābile); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin parō (“to furnish, obtain”) + -bilis.^[2][3][1] De Vaan derives parō from Proto-Italic *parāje/o- and Proto-Indo-European *prh₃-o- (“providing”), usually explained as a verb made from a noun, though Rix proposed a different formation.^[4] Cognate with Sanskrit पृणाति (pr̥ṇā́ti, “gives, grants”) and Ancient Greek ἔπορον (époron, “provided, gave”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Cicero,^[5] who in De finibus says that nature's riches are both easily obtained and limited.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

It means obtainable, and especially easy to come by.^[2] In Cicero it belongs to Epicurean doctrine about desires that are easy to satisfy.^[3] Horace says he likes love that is cheap and easy, Seneca food that is easy to get,^[2][6] and Curtius uses it of a simple and inexpensive way of living.^[2][7]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of riches that nature makes easy to obtain.^[2][5]
• 65–8 BC – Horace uses it of easy love.^[2][5]
• 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca uses it of food that is easy to get.^[2][5]
• 1st century AD – Curtius uses it of a frugal way of life.^[2][5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Obtainable, procurable.^[2][8]
2. Easily obtained, ready to hand; cheap.^[2][7]

References

1. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson