repulsa

Pronunciation

• Classical: [rɛˈpʊɫ.sa]^[1]
• Ecclesiastical: [reˈpul.sa]^[1]

Forms

repulsa f (genitive repulsae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is the feminine past participle of repellō (“to drive back, reject”), used as a noun, originally with petītiō (“candidature”) understood.^[2][3][1] The verb is formed from re- and pellō (“to push, drive”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Indo-European *pl̥-n-h₂- (“to approach”), with a shift from “bring closer” to “push”.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Cicero,^[5] who calls a candidate's prosecution of a rival the herald of his defeat.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense is a technical term of politics, failure to win an office, and repulsam ferre is to be defeated in an election.^[2][3] From that it is any rebuff to a purpose or proposal, as Livy's Aetolians weary of so many rebuffs, and in love, as in Propertius.^[2]

In medieval texts it is a repulse.^[6]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero of defeat in an election.^[2][5]
• 57/46–12 BC – Propertius of a rebuff in love.^[2][5]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy of rebuffs.^[2][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. Defeat in an election;^[2][3][1] repulsam ferre, to fail to win an office.^[2][3][1]
2. A rebuff, refusal, rejection, repulse.^[2][1][6]

Related words

• repellō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ 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
6. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill