Etymologically
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promptus

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈproːmp.tʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈprɔmp.tus][1]

Forms

prōmptus (feminine prōmpta, neuter prōmptum, comparative prōmptior, superlative prōmptissimus); first/second-declension adjective[1] It is sometimes spelled promtus, especially in early editions.[2][3] The noun prōmptus (fourth declension) is used almost only in the ablative, in prōmptū.[2][1]

Etymology

The adjective is the perfect passive participle of prōmō (“to bring out”), and the noun is formed from the same verb with the suffix -tus.[2][1] prōmō is prō- (“forth”) and emō (“to take”),[1] which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *eme/o- and Proto-Indo-European *h₁em-e/o- (“to take”), cognate with Lithuanian imti (“to take”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler first records it in Plautus.[5]

Semantic evolution

The adjective prōmptus is “ready to hand, available” (Cicero), “plainly visible, manifest”, and of tasks “easy, practicable”, with prōmptum est “it is easy”.[2][1] Of people it is “quick, prompt, active, keen”, of qualities “ready” (Sallust: prōmptam audāciam), of speech “fluent”, and “quick to help”; with ad or in it is “inclined to, ready for”.[2][1]

The noun lives on in the phrase in prōmptū, “at hand, at one's disposal” (Accius), “in full view” (Cicero: nature put the honourable parts of the body in prōmptū), “obvious”, and “within one's power”.[2][3][1]

Church Latin glosses the adjective “prompt, willing, visible, quick” and the noun “visibility, readiness”.[6] English prompt comes from the adjective in the mid-14th century.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.[5]
  • 170–c. 90 BC – Accius: in prōmptū.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero: in prōmptū, “in full view”.[2][5]
  • 86–34 BC – Sallust: prōmptam audāciam.[2][5]
  • mid-14th century – English prompt.[7]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Ready to hand, available.[2][1]
  2. Visible, manifest.[2][1][6]
  3. Easy, practicable.[2][1]
  4. Quick, prompt, ready, keen; fluent.[2][1][6]
  5. Inclined (to), ready (for).[2][1]

Noun

  1. (in prōmptū) At hand; in view; within one's power.[2][3][1][6]

Word family

  • promptuārius
  • imprōmptus

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  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 e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b c d Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com