rusticitas

Forms

rūsticitās f (genitive rūsticitātis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin rūsticus (“of the country, rustic”) + -tās.^[2][1] De Vaan derives rūsticus from Proto-Italic *rowes-tiko-, an adjective made from the noun that became rūs (“the country, farmland”); that noun goes back to Proto-Indo-European *Hreu-os (“open space, field”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lewis & Short note that it is not found before the Augustan age,^[4] and Köbler records it first in Ovid,^[5] who uses it of old-fashioned awkwardness: nec nostros mansit in annos rusticitas, “that rusticity has not lasted into our times”.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

It names the quality of the country and of country people, set against urbānitās, the manners of the city.^[4][2] In a bad sense, which Lewis & Short call the more frequent, it is boorishness or uncouth behaviour, in Seneca, Martial and Suetonius,^[2] and lack of refinement, in Ovid and Seneca's letters;^[2] Quintilian uses it of a provincial accent or a rustic way of speaking.^[2][6][7] In a good sense it is old-fashioned simplicity: Pliny the Elder calls Marcus Agrippa a man closer to rūsticitās than to luxury,^[2] and Pliny the Younger praises a part of Italy that still keeps much of its ancient modesty, frugality and rusticity.^[4][7] The jurists use it of a countryman's inexperience in legal matters.^[2][4] Palladius has it of husbandry, and later texts of country people collectively.^[4][6][7] In Medieval Latin it is above all rustic ignorance and inelegance of speech or writing: Aldhelm uses it of faults of verse, and Boniface asks his correspondent to correct the rūsticitās of his letter.^[8] Wiktionary also gives the medieval sense “lack of education, stupidity”.^[1]

Timeline

• 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid uses it of old-fashioned awkwardness.^[2][5]
• 2nd third of the 1st century AD – Calpurnius Siculus uses it of his country birth.^[2][5]
• c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian opposes it to urbānitās and uses it of rustic speech.^[4][5]
• c. 75–c. 150 AD – Suetonius records someone accused of rūsticitās.^[4][5]
• before 223 AD – Ulpian uses it of inexperience in legal matters.^[2][5]
• end of the 4th or beginning of the 5th century AD – Palladius uses it of husbandry and of country people.^[4][5]
• 639–709 AD – Aldhelm uses it of faults in verse.^[8][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. The state of being country-born; rustic quality, provinciality, especially of accent or language.^[2][6]
2. Boorishness, uncouth manners.^[2][4]
3. Lack of sophistication, awkwardness; without a bad sense, rustic simplicity.^[2][4]
4. Rustic inexperience of practical and legal matters.^[2]
5. (Late Latin) Husbandry; country people.^[4][6]
6. (Medieval Latin) Rustic ignorance or inelegance of speech or writing; uncouthness.^[8][1]

Related words

• rūsticus
• rūs
• urbānitās

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
7. ^ a b c Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b c 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