prompte

Forms

prōmptē (comparative prōmptius, superlative prōmptissimē)^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin prōmptus (“ready, prompt”) + -ē, the adverb of the adjective.^[2][3] The adjective is the participle of prōmō (“to bring out”), which de Vaan derives from emō in its older sense to take, from Proto-Italic *eme/o- and Proto-Indo-European *h₁em-e/o- (“to take”).^[4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Cicero.^[3] The OLD quotes the phrase “I will speak a little more freely”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It means unhesitatingly, with alacrity, willingly or eagerly;^[2][5] Tacitus tells how one legion tore down Galba's images readily and another hesitantly.^[2][5] With speech it means fluently, as Tacitus' description of a man, usually laboured in his words, who spoke more freely whenever he came to someone's help.^[2] Valerius Maximus uses it of what victory very readily supplies, licence, and Apuleius of what is ready to hand.^[2]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.^[3]
• 98–115 AD – Tacitus of legions acting readily.^[5][3]
• c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius of what is ready to hand.^[2][3]

Meanings

Adverb

1. So as to be ready to hand.^[2]
2. Without difficulty, readily, easily.^[2][1]
3. Unhesitatingly, with alacrity, willingly, eagerly; of speech, fluently.^[2][1]

Related words

• prōmptus
• prōmō

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
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 Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften