Etymologically
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primipilus

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Forms

prīmipīlus m (genitive prīmipīlī); second declension[1] Also prīmōpīlus.[2]

Etymology

It is from prīmus “first” and pīlus “maniple of the triarii”, related to pīlum “javelin”.[3][1][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's earliest source is Cicero.[4] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It was the senior centurion of a legion, commanding the first century of the first maniple of the first cohort.[3][5]

British Medieval Latin took it, from ⟨pĭlus⟩ “hair”, as one whose beard has just begun to grow.[6] French primipile is a learned borrowing.[1]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The senior centurion of a legion.[3][5]

Word family

  • prīmipīlāris
  • primipilarius
  • primipilatus

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  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. ^ 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