perexiguus

Forms

perexiguus (feminine perexigua, neuter perexiguum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin per- + exiguus (“small, scanty”), with the intensive prefix.^[2][3] De Vaan derives the simple adjective from exigō (“to drive out”), a compound of agō (“to drive”), which goes back to Proto-Italic *ag-e/o- and Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-e/o- (“to drive, lead”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler and the TLL record it first in Cicero;^[5][3] in the De natura deorum he uses it of a tiny seed.^[6]

Semantic evolution

The TLL counts eight instances in Cicero and three in Caesar, and finds it only in prose.^[3] It is used of size or amount, as of a very small space in Caesar or of silver in Livy, of time, as Cicero's dies perexiguus, a very short time limit, and of things of very slight importance.^[2][6][7] The neuter is used as an adverb,^[8] and Cicero has the adverb perexiguē, “very sparingly”.^[6] Medieval British writers use it of meagre food and of small amounts.^[9]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of a tiny seed and a very short time limit.^[6][7][5]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar uses it of a very small space.^[6][8][5]
• 59 BC–AD 17 – Livy uses it of a small amount of silver.^[6][5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Very small in size or amount, tiny, minute.^[2][6]
2. (of time) Very brief.^[2][7]
3. Of very slight importance, petty.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ 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 Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
8. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
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