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pecuniarius

Etymology and origin of the Latin word pecuniarius

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Cicero
Ultimate origin
Latin (pecūnia)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin pecunia
Latin pecuniarius
English pecuniary

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [pɛ.kuː.niˈaː.ri.ʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [pe.ku.niˈaː.ri.us][1]

Forms

pecūniārius (feminine pecūniāria, neuter pecūniārium); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin pecunia (“money”) + -ārius.[2][1] The TLL also records a rare third-declension form pecūniāris.[3] pecūnia comes from pecu “cattle”, from Proto-Indo-European *peḱu- (“livestock”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Cicero, in the speech for Roscius of Ameria, speaks of a partner in a money matter.[5][6] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.[7]

Semantic evolution

It meant of or involving money, pecuniary, as rēs pecūniāria a money matter.[2][5] Caesar speaks of large rewards in money, and Tacitus and Quintilian use it too.[6][8] The jurists speak of a money penalty and a money judgement.[8]

Medieval writers used it of debts and money cases.[9] English pecuniary is recorded around 1500.[4]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero speaks of a money matter.[5][7]
  • c. 50 BC – Caesar speaks of rewards in money.[6][7]
  • c. 1500 – Borrowed into English as pecuniary.[4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of money, pecuniary, financial.[2][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d 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. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  8. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  9. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press

Borrowed into

Cite this entry

“Pecuniarius.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/pecuniarius. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·