Etymologically
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planctus

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Forms

plānctus m (genitive plānctūs); fourth declension[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin plangō (“to strike, beat the breast”) + -tus.[2][1] De Vaan traces plangō to Proto-Italic *plāng-e/o- (“to hit”) and Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₂-n-g- (“to hit”), with a shift to beating one's breast, hence to wail and mourn.[3] Cognate with Ancient Greek πλάζω (plázō, “to drive off course”) and Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍆𐌻𐍉𐌺𐌿𐌽 (faiflokun, “to hit, flog”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lewis & Short call it post-Augustan and mostly poetic;[4] Seneca uses it of the beating of the breast in mourning.[4]

Semantic evolution

It is a noisy striking or beating, as the flapping of the Harpies' wings in Valerius Flaccus and the roar of waves dashed on the rocks in Lucan.[2][4] Above all it is the beating of the breast, arms and face in mourning, and so lamentation, as Curtius' palace ringing with laments and Tacitus' groans and lamentation.[2][4] The Vulgate has “there was great mourning in Israel”.[4] In Medieval Latin it is also a legal complaint or action,[5] and a kind of song or poem of lament.[1] English plaint comes from it through Old French, recorded from about 1200.[6]

Timeline

  • 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca of breast-beating in mourning.[4][7]
  • 1st century AD – Curtius of a palace ringing with laments.[4][7]
  • 98–115 AD – Tacitus of groans and lamentation.[4][7]
  • c. 1200 – English plaint, through Old French.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A noisy beating or striking; the roar of waves.[2][4][1]
  2. The beating of the breast in grief; lamentation, wailing.[2][4][1]
  3. (Medieval Latin) A legal complaint, action.[5]
  4. (Medieval Latin) A song or poem of lament.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f 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 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 e f g h i j Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de