scitus

Forms

scītus (feminine scīta, neuter scītum, comparative scītior, superlative scītissimus, adverb scitē); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

Used as an adjective, it is the perfect participle from Latin scīscō (“to get to know, approve”), with an active sense.^[2][1] scīscō is derived from sciō (“to know”),^[3] which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *skije/o- (“to know”); it may belong to a root meaning “to cut”, Proto-Indo-European *skh₁-i(e/o)- (“to incise”), if knowing grew out of distinguishing.^[3] He compares Ancient Greek σχάω (skháō, “to slit open”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Plautus.^[4] In the Cistellaria a woman says she is no wiser than the people she asks.^[2] Ennius has a skilled groom, scitus agaso.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It means knowing or wise to a fact, and having practical knowledge, expert.^[2] Ennius describes a clever man who says the right thing at the right time.^[2] Of speech it is refined: Cicero mentions a courtesan who wrote in a fine Attic style.^[2][5] A remark or plan can be scitum, neatly thought out;^[2] Plautus calls an old saying scitum.^[2] In comedy it is a general word of praise, nice or excellent, and especially pretty: in Plautus a woman has a fine enough figure.^[2][5] Petronius has scruta scita, apparently a mixed lot of goods.^[2] Apuleius calls a dream of Socrates prophetic in this way.^[2] Church Latin has it as knowing, skilled, fit and suitable.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus, of knowledge and of good looks.^[2][4]
• 204–169 BC – Ennius, of a skilled groom and a clever man.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero, of an elegant style.^[2][4]
• before 66 AD – Petronius, scruta scita.^[2][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Knowing, aware (of a fact).^[2][1]
2. Skilled, expert;^[2][1] of style, refined.^[2][5]
3. Clever, shrewd;^[2][5] of remarks or plans, neat, ingenious.^[2]
4. (colloquial) Nice, excellent; pretty, attractive.^[2][5][1]
5. Fit, suitable.^[1][5]

Word family

• īnscītus
• scītulus

Related words

• scīscō
• sciō
• scītum

Usage notes

The fourth-declension noun scītus, -ūs “decree”, also from scīscō, is found only in the ablative in plēbī scītū, for the usual plēbiscītum, in an old decree quoted by Cicero and in Livy.^[7][5] Medieval Latin has a noun scītus “knowledge”, which Niermeyer derives from sciō.^[8]

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 i j k l m n o p q r s t u Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d e f g Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill