schedius

Forms

schĕdius (feminine schĕdia, neuter schĕdium); first/second-declension adjective^[1][2] Gaffiot also gives the Greek form schĕdĭos.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek σχέδιος (skhédios).^[1][2][3] The substantives schedia “raft” and schedium “improvised poem” follow the Greek use of the feminine and neuter as nouns.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Petronius has the neuter schedium for an off-hand poem in the manner of Lucilius.^[1][2] The adjective itself, “made in haste”, is explained by Festus in Paul's epitome and used by Ulpian of a ship roughly put together.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

Its sense is “made on the spur of the moment, hastily put together”.^[1][3] The feminine schedia named a raft built in haste, in the Digest,^[1] and the neuter schedium an extempore poem in Petronius, Apuleius, Ausonius and Sidonius.^[1][2]

Timeline

• before 66 AD – Petronius uses schedium of an improvised poem.^[1][2][4]
• 2nd half of the 2nd century AD – Festus explains the word.^[3][2][4]
• before 223 AD – Ulpian applies it to a roughly built ship.^[3][4]
• c. 431–486 AD – Sidonius still uses schedium for an impromptu poem.^[2][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Made in haste, put together off-hand; improvised.^[1][3][2]

Word family

• schedia
• schedium

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
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. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de