quadriduum

Forms

quadrīduum n (genitive quadrīduī); second declension^[1] It is also spelled quatrīduum.^[2][3] The second syllable is apparently long on the analogy of bīduum.^[2]

Etymology

It is from Latin quadri- (“four”) + *diuom (“day”), a formation like bīduum (“two days”) and trīduum (“three days”) from the stem of diēs (“day”).^[2][4][1][5] De Vaan traces that stem to Proto-Italic *-diwo- (“of the day”) and Proto-Indo-European *di-eu- (“day; sky”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Plautus,^[5] whose Persa has a promise to repay money at once, within three or four days.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It is a space of four days.^[2][3] In the ablative it means within four days, quadrīduō ante and quadrīduō post four days before and after, or for four days:^[2] Cicero mentions a letter received four days earlier and discussions held over four days, and Curtius a halt of four days in one place.^[2] Cato, Livy and Curtius use it too.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of repaying in three or four days.^[2][5]
• 234–149 BC – Cato.^[3]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of a letter four days old.^[2]
• 1st century AD – Curtius of a four-day halt.^[2][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A space of four days.^[2][3][1]
2. (ablative) Within four days;^[2] quadrīduō ante, quadrīduō post, four days before, after; for four days.^[2]

Word family

• quadrīduānus

Related words

• bīduum
• trīduum
• diēs

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de