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paulisper

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word paulisper

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
c. 250–184 BC, Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (paulus,-per)

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [pau̯ˈliːs.pɛr][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [pau̯ˈlis.per][1]

Forms

paulisper (not comparable)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from paulus (“little”) and the suffix -per,[2][3] originally a phrase with the ablative plural ⟨paulīs⟩ followed by a postposition.[1] De Vaan explains ⟨-per⟩, which marks duration, as the preposition per (“through”) used after its noun, from Proto-Italic *peri and Proto-Indo-European *péri (“across”).[4] The TLL notes that the ending ⟨-is-⟩, also in tantisper and pauxillisper, has no convincing explanation, as ⟨*paulumper⟩ would be expected beside parumper.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan gives Plautus as its first author:[4] in the Pseudolus a character says “like a midsummer plant I lasted only a little while”.[5][6]

Semantic evolution

It is “for a short while”, often with commands, as Plautus' “wait a little” and “be quiet a little”, and “only for a short time”.[2][5] Church Latin glosses it “for a little while”.[7]

Timeline

Meanings

Adverb

  1. For a little while, for a short time; only briefly.[2][1][7]
  • paulus
  • parumper
  • tantisper

Usage notes

Döderlein distinguishes parumper, “in a short time”, which looks forward and suits acts of the mind, from paulisper, “during a short time”, which suits acts of the body.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  8. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
Cite this entry

“Paulisper.” Etymologically, 19 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/paulisper. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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