rabies

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈra.bi.eːs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈraː.bi.es]^[1]

Forms

rabiēs f (genitive rabiēī); fifth declension^[1] Lucretius has the genitive rabiēs; otherwise only the nominative, accusative and ablative singular occur.^[2][3] Late Latin also has rabia.^[4]

Etymology

It is from rabiō “to rave” with the suffix -iēs, like scabiēs from ⟨scabō⟩.^[1][4][5] De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Italic ⟨*rab-⟩ or ⟨*raf-⟩ for the verb, of unclear origin: Schrijver rejects the old comparison with Sanskrit रभ् (rabh-, “to grab”), which the OLD still gives, and his link with Tocharian A ⟨rapurñe⟩ “desire” is not convincing in meaning.^[6][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's earliest source is Plautus, whom he dates c. 250–184 BC.^[7]

Semantic evolution

It was the ferocity of animals, as in Propertius; uncontrolled emotion, frenzy, madness, and with a genitive a mad passion for something, as in Sallust; and the fury of winds and storms, as in Horace.^[2] Columella and Pliny the Elder used it of the disease of mad dogs, rabies.^[8]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant madness, fury, rage, fierceness.^[9] British Medieval Latin used it for violent rage, frenzy, also personified and of animals.^[10] Through Vulgar Latin rabia it is the source of Old French rage and English rage (about 1300).^[5][7] English rabies, the disease, is recorded in the 1590s.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[7]
• 86–34 BC – Sallust uses it of mad passion.^[2][7]
• 1st century AD – Columella uses it of the disease of dogs.^[8][7]
• c. 1300 – English rage is recorded.^[5]
• 1590s – English rabies is recorded.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. Ferocity, savageness (of animals).^[2]
2. Frenzy, madness, rage; mad passion.^[2]
3. The fury of winds or storms.^[2]
4. (medicine) Rabies.^[8]

Word family

• rabia
• rabiōsus
• rabidus

Related words

• rabiō
• English rage
• English rabies

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. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
7. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
8. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
9. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
10. ^ 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