Etymologically
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pudibundus

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [pʊ.dɪˈbʊn.dʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [pu.diˈbun.dus][1]

Forms

pudibundus (feminine pudibunda, neuter pudibundum); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin pudeō (“to be ashamed”) + -bundus.[2][1] De Vaan traces pudeō to Proto-Italic *pud-ē- (“to be ashamed or shy”), whose further origin is unclear: a link with paviō (“to strike”) or with Proto-Indo-European *speud- (“to press, hurry”) has been proposed, but the root lacks the initial /s/ and is not securely reconstructed.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in Horace,[4] who in the Ars poetica says that Tragedy will mingle, somewhat shamefaced, with the wanton Satyrs; the sense is “filled with shame”.[2]

Semantic evolution

Ovid uses it of faces and of a shamed part of the body, Pliny the Elder of a peacock that is ashamed and grieving when it has lost its tail, and Statius of a day that dawns ashamed.[5][6][7] From the 1st century AD it also meant “shameful”, causing shame: Valerius Flaccus has shameful deaths, the Laus Pisonis shameful jests, and Justin a shameful descent on the mother's side.[2][6] Augustine speaks of a somewhat bashful argument.[6] The grammarian Charisius lists it among participles, while a scholiast on Statius calls it a noun, not a participle.[8]

British Medieval Latin used it of a person filled with shame, and of the parts of the body about which one should be modest;[9] Aldhelm has the neuter plural for the private parts.[9]

Timeline

  • 65–8 BC – Horace uses it of Tragedy among the Satyrs.[2][4]
  • 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid uses it of faces.[5][4]
  • 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder uses it of a peacock.[5][4]
  • c. 45–96 AD – Statius has a day that dawns ashamed.[6][4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Filled with shame, shamefaced, bashful, modest;[2][5] (of a flower) blushing.[2][5]
  2. Causing shame, shameful, disgraceful.[2][6]
  3. (Medieval Latin) About which one should be modest;[9] (neuter plural) the private parts.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ 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 e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  7. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  8. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  9. ^ a b c d 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