penes

Forms

penes (+ accusative)^[1]

Etymology

It is probably inherited from Proto-Italic *penets, from Proto-Indo-European *pen-et-s (“food”), from the root Proto-Indo-European *pen- (“to feed”).^[1][2][3] De Vaan explains it with penitus (“from within”) and penetrō (“to penetrate”) as forms of a stem meaning “food”, then “stock”, then “the inside of the house”: the usual view that it is an old locative without ending of the noun penus (“store of food”) runs into the unexpected ending ⟨-es⟩.^[2][4] The root is that of Lithuanian penė́ti (“to feed”).^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan gives Plautus as its first author.^[2] In the Trinummus someone says thēnsaurum tuom mē esse penes, “that your treasure is in my keeping”.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It takes the accusative, usually of persons, and often follows its noun.^[5][6] It means in the keeping or possession of someone, at someone's house, and then under the control of: Plautus has Jupiter, in whose power are the hopes of all men.^[5] Horace's penes sē esse is to be in one's right mind.^[5] It marks the person to whom blame or credit belongs (Terence: the fault lies with you) and, in Tacitus, “among, on the part of”.^[5]

Church Latin glosses it “with, in the possession or power of, in the presence of”.^[7] Medieval Latin also uses it for “in the eyes of”, “before, in the presence of”, “in” and “as regards”, and British writers for keeping something to oneself.^[8][9]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of possession and of power.^[2][5][3]
• 190–159 BC – Terence of blame belonging to someone.^[5][3]
• 65–8 BC – Horace of being in one's right mind.^[5][3]
• 98–115 AD – Tacitus in the sense “among”.^[5][3]

Meanings

Preposition

1. In the possession or keeping of; at the house of.^[5][1][7]
2. Under the control of, in the power of.^[5][1]
3. Resting with (of blame, praise or responsibility).^[5]
4. Among, on the part of.^[5]
5. (Medieval Latin) In the eyes of; before, in the presence of; as regards.^[8]

Word family

• penitus

Related words

• penus
• penetrō
• Penātēs

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
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