piscis

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈpɪs.kɪs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈpiʃ.ʃis]^[1]

Forms

piscis m (genitive piscis); third declension^[1] An early inscription has an accusative piscim.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *piski- (“fish”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *pisk- (“fish”).^[3][1] Cognate with Old Irish íasc (“fish”), Gothic 𐍆𐌹𐍃𐌺𐍃 (fisks, “fish”) and English fish; de Vaan finds the variation between /i/ and /ei/ hard to explain.^[3][2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus has shipwrecked men give food to the fishes.^[2][3] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It was a fish, as in Ennius and Cicero, and in the plural the constellation Pisces.^[2][5] Ovid uses piscis fēmina of a female fish, and Silius curvus piscis of the dolphin.^[6]

In medieval Latin fish was food for days of abstinence, as distinct from meat.^[7] It survives as Italian pesce, Spanish pez, Portuguese peixe and Romanian pește.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[2][4]
• 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it.^[8][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it, and of the constellation in his Aratea.^[2][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A fish.^[2][8]
2. In the plural, the constellation Pisces.^[2][5]
3. (Medieval Latin) Fish as food for days of abstinence.^[7]

Word family

• piscārius
• piscātus
• pisceus
• piscicapus
• pisciculus
• piscīna
• piscor
• piscōsus
• pisculentus

Related words

• English fish

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
7. ^ a b 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
8. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press