Etymologically
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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈskiː.tɛ], [ˈskiː.teː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈʃiː.te], [ˈʃiː.te][1]

Forms

scītē (comparative scītius, superlative scītissimē)[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin scītus (“knowing, clever”) + -ē, the participle of scīscō (“to learn, decree”) used as an adjective.[2][1][3] De Vaan traces the base sciō to Proto-Italic *skije/o- (“to know”) and Proto-Indo-European *skh₁-i(e/o)- (“to incise”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus has someone drink down wine nearly neat most expertly.[2]

Semantic evolution

It means with practical knowledge, expertly, and cleverly, neatly, ingeniously: in Plautus a trick is praised as cleverly done.[2] In colloquial speech it is nicely, handsomely, as Plautus' sheep that is shorn too nicely.[2] Wiktionary also gives wisely, suitably and elegantly.[1] Köbler finds it in Cicero.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus, expertly and cleverly.[2]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero.[5]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. Expertly, knowingly, shrewdly.[2][1]
  2. Cleverly, neatly, ingeniously; suitably.[2][1]
  3. (colloquial) Nicely, handsomely, elegantly.[2][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de