revocabilis

Forms

revocābilis (neuter revocābile); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin revocō (“to call back, revoke”) + -bilis (“-able”).^[2][3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest certain example is in Ovid's Metamorphoses (6.264), where an arrow is past recall: cum iam revocabile telum non fuit, “when the weapon could no longer be called back”.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

The word is mostly poetic and is usually found with a negative, so that non revocabilis means “irrevocable”, of a word or of shame that cannot be undone.^[6][3] In prose Seneca speaks of light punishments that can be revoked.^[3][5]

Medieval writers in Britain kept it: Osbern of Gloucester lists it with the compound irrevocabilis, and Gower uses it of sin that is brought back.^[7] English took over revocable about 1500, from Old French or directly from the Latin.^[8]

Timeline

• 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid uses it of an arrow that cannot be called back.^[5][9]
• 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca speaks of punishments that can be revoked.^[3][9]
• c. 45–96 AD – Statius uses non revocabile of a word that cannot be taken back.^[3][5][9]
• c. 1500 – English borrows it as revocable.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. That can be called back or brought back.^[2][6]
2. Of a decision or penalty: that can be revoked or withdrawn.^[2][5]

Related words

• irrevocabilis
• English revocable

Usage notes

Older editions read the word in Propertius (4.7.51) as well, but Haupt's text has revolubile there.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
4. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
5. ^ a b c d e Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ 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
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
9. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de