pecunia

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [pɛˈkuː.ni.a]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [peˈkuː.ni.a]^[1]

Forms

pecūnia f (genitive pecūniae); first declension^[1] Older inscriptions, especially public ones, spell it pequnia.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is derived from pecu (“flock, herd”), probably through an unattested adjective *pecūnus “having cattle”.^[4][4][1][3] The TLL calls the link with pecu certain but the exact formation unclear.^[3] Pecu itself is inherited from Proto-Italic *peku-, from inherited from Proto-Indo-European *peḱu- (“cattle”),^[4] and is cognate with Sanskrit पशु (paśú-, “cattle”) and Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐌷𐌿 (faihu, “property, money”).^[4]

The Romans themselves explained the word from cattle: Varro says that wealth was named from pecus because the wealth of herdsmen consisted in their flocks.^[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record is in the Twelve Tables of about 450 BC,^[4][7] where it means property in general, in the rule that a man's will about his property is to be law.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The old sense of property or wealth of any kind is still found in Cicero,^[2][5] and Festus records a sacrificial offering of produce called pecunia.^[2] From Plautus on, however, the usual sense was money,^[2] including public funds and money given as a bribe.^[2][6] Pecunia was also personified as a goddess.^[2][5]

In medieval Latin the word again covered property of every kind: real estate or a manor, movable goods, cattle and single head of cattle, merchandise and tools.^[8][7]

Timeline

• c. 450 BC – The Twelve Tables use it for a person's property.^[2][7]
• c. 235–200 BC – Naevius sets liberty above wealth.^[2][7]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it for money, as in praesenti pecuniā, “for cash”.^[2][7]
• 116–27 BC – Varro derives it from pecus “cattle”.^[5][7]
• 65–8 BC – Horace calls money a queen who bestows noble birth and beauty.^[2][7]
• Early Middle Ages – It is used for land, goods and cattle.^[8][7]

Meanings

Noun

1. property, possessions, wealth.^[2][5][6]
2. money, a sum of money;^[2][5] (plural) funds.^[6]
3. Money offered or accepted as a bribe.^[2]
4. (religion) A sacrificial offering of produce.^[2]
5. Pecunia: money personified as a goddess.^[2][5]
6. (Medieval Latin) Land, an estate; movable goods; cattle; merchandise.^[8]

Descendants

• Aromanian: picunj, picunjiu^[1]

Word family

• pecunialis
• pecūniāris
• pecūniārius
• pecūniōsus

Related words

• pecūlātor
• pecūlātus
• pecūlium
• pecus
• English pecuniary
• English impecunious
• English fee

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 k l m n o p 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 c d e 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 f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
8. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill