pruina

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [pruˈiː.na]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [pruˈiː.na]^[1]

Forms

pruīna f (genitive pruīnae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *prus-wo- (“freezing”), from Proto-Indo-European *prus-u̯o- (“sprinkling, drop”), with the adjective suffix ⟨-īna⟩.^[2][3] De Vaan follows Hamp's account of the sound changes, ⟨*prusu̯īna⟩ > ⟨*prurwīna⟩ > ⟨*pruwīna⟩ > ⟨*prūīna⟩ > ⟨pruīna⟩.^[2][3] The nominal base is kept in Sanskrit प्रुष्वा (pruṣvā́, “drop of dew, hoar frost”), and the verb behind it in Germanic, as in English freeze.^[2][4][1] It is related to prūriō “to itch” and prūna “live coal”.^[2][1] Isidore explains the word from the Greek ⟨pyr⟩ “fire”, since frost burns like fire.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan's first attestation is Pacuvius, whom Köbler dates 220–130 BC.^[2][6] Köbler's own first source is Cato.^[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant hoar frost, rime, as in Lucretius and Cicero, who has the plural pruīnae ac nivēs “frosts and snows”.^[4][7][8] In Virgil it was used of snow, and by extension of winter.^[8]

British Medieval Latin used it for frozen dew, hoar frost.^[9] It survives in Italian brina and French bruine, and learned forms such as French and Spanish pruine, pruína name the waxy bloom on fruit.^[1]

Timeline

• 220–130 BC – Pacuvius uses it.^[2][6]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses the plural of frosts.^[7][6]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of snow and winter.^[8][6]

Meanings

Noun

1. Hoarfrost, rime.^[4]
2. Snow; winter.^[8]

Word family

• pruīnōsus

Related words

• prūriō
• prūna
• English freeze

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ Isidore of Seville, Etymologiarum sive Originum libri XX, ed. W. M. Lindsay (Oxford, 1911).
6. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
9. ^ 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