satias

Forms

satiās f (genitive satiātis); third declension^[1] Apart from the accusative ⟨satiātem⟩ and the ablative ⟨satiāte⟩ in Lucretius, it is found almost only in the nominative singular.^[2] The other cases were usually supplied by satietās.^[3] A collateral form ⟨satiēs⟩ occurs in Juvencus and Pliny the Elder.^[3]

Etymology

It is a noun formed from satis (“enough”).^[4][1][5] The OLD suggests that it may be a syncopated form of satietās (“satiety”),^[2] while Georges derives it from an unattested adjective ⟨*satius⟩.^[6] De Vaan lists it, with satietās and satiō¹ (“to satisfy”), among the derivatives of satis, which goes back to Proto-Italic *sati- (“satiation, satisfaction”) and Proto-Indo-European *sh₂-ti- (“satisfaction, satiation”).^[4]

Köbler connects the root with Proto-Indo-European *sā-, the source of words for “sated”.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Plautus on,^[4][7] meaning “abundance, plenty”: in the Pseudolus a character promises enough elm rods to give Jupiter a plentiful offering that day.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The word has two senses: a plentiful supply of something, and the state of being full or sated.^[2][3] Accius has a cruelty that no satias sanguinis, “glut of blood”, ever fills, and Sallust a plenty of grain that followed a severe scarcity.^[2][8] Varro uses it of the feeling of fullness after a meal.^[2][6]

From fullness it passed to the weariness or disgust that excess brings:^[2][6] in Terence's Hecyra a speaker says that satias of his pursuits has already taken hold of him, and Livy uses it of a husband's tiring of love for his wife.^[2][8] Lucretius has ad satiātem, “to satiety, in abundance”.^[2][9] Lewis and Short call it mostly ante- and post-classical, and not found in Cicero or Caesar.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it for an abundance of something.^[2][7]
• 190–159 BC – Terence uses it for weariness of one's pursuits.^[2][7]
• 170–c. 90 BC – Accius speaks of a glut of blood.^[2][7]
• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of fullness after a meal.^[2][7]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius has the phrase ad satiātem.^[2][7]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of being sated with wine and of tiring of love.^[2][7]

Meanings

Noun

1. An abundance, plenty, sufficiency.^[2][3]
2. Fullness after a meal, satiety.^[2][6]
3. Weariness or disgust caused by excess.^[2][6][8]

Related words

• satis
• satietās
• satiō¹
• satur

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r 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 c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d e Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
8. ^ a b c Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
9. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.