schedium

Forms

schedium n (genitive schediī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek σχέδιος (skhédios, “offhand, improvised”), used as a neuter noun.^[1][2] Gaffiot also records the Latin adjective schedius, “made in haste”, from Paulus' epitome of Festus.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Lucilius:^[3] Apuleius uses schedium with the remark “as Lucilius says”, for an unprepared speech.^[1]

Semantic evolution

In Petronius a speaker, so as not to seem to scorn an improvisation “of Lucilian plainness”, puts his own thoughts into verse,^[1] and Apuleius uses it for an unprepared, artless speech.^[1][4] Gaffiot adds examples from Ausonius and Sidonius Apollinaris for improvised verses.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius uses the word, as Apuleius reports.^[1][3]
• before 66 AD – Petronius speaks of an improvisation in the plain style of Lucilius.^[1][3]
• c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius calls his own unprepared speech a schedium.^[1][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. An impromptu poem or speech, an improvisation.^[1][2][4]

Related words

• scheda

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier