Etymologically
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pudenter

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Forms

pudenter (comparative pudentius, superlative pudentissimē)[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin pudēns + -ter,[2][1] from the present participle of pudeō (“to be ashamed”).[1] De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Italic *pud-ē- (“to be ashamed or shy”) for that verb but finds no secure further etymology;[3] older proposals connect it with paviō (“to strike”) or, hesitantly, with a root meaning “to press, hurry”.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first author is Afranius, the writer of comedies,[4][5] and it is next found in Cicero, meaning with modesty or discretion.[6][7]

Semantic evolution

Cicero uses it of approaching a subject reluctantly or with restraint, in the comparative pudentius, and says that a request was made pudentissimē, most discreetly.[6][7] The OLD's definition stresses a proper sense of what is fitting, and usually of restraint and modesty.[2] Horace contrasts taking something pudenter, in moderation, with snatching it: distat sumasne pudenter an rapiās.[5]

In the Medieval Latin of Britain it is also found in the sense “shamefully”, as in the Latin version of the Ancrene Riwle, where it renders Middle English scheomeliche.[8]

Timeline

  • 2nd half of the 2nd century BC – Afranius uses it in a comedy.[5][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it with its comparative and superlative.[7][4]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace contrasts taking in moderation with snatching.[5][4]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. With a proper sense of what is fitting; with restraint, modestly, discreetly.[2][7]
  2. Bashfully, shyly.[1][6]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Shamefully.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c 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 Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c d Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  6. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  7. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  8. ^ a b 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