Etymologically
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puriter

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Forms

pūriter (not comparable)[1] The OLD gives its comparative and superlative under pūrē.[2]

Etymology

It is from Latin pūrus (“clean, pure”) + -ter.[2][3][4] De Vaan traces pūrus to Proto-Italic *pūro- (“pure”) and Proto-Indo-European *ph₂ú-ro- (“clear, cleansed”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler first records it in Cato,[3] who uses it in his work on agriculture of handling things cleanly, as in pouring a liquid into another jar cleanly and gently.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

It means in a clean manner, free of dirt: in a comedy of Pomponius someone is told to handle a thing cleanly and answers that he has washed his hands, and Catullus mocks a man who has washed his teeth clean.[2][7] Catullus also has the moral sense, with purity of life: “if I have lived my life purely, take this plague from me”.[2][7] Georges calls it the pre-classical and poetic form beside pūrē.[6] In medieval British Latin it means purely, free of moral contamination or corruption.[8]

Timeline

  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of handling things cleanly.[2][3]
  • 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus uses it of washing the teeth and of a pure life.[2][3]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. In a clean manner, free of dirt or impurities.[2][7]
  2. With purity of life, righteously.[2][7]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier
  5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  7. ^ a b c d Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  8. ^ 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