secus

secus¹ sex

Forms

secus n (indeclinable)^[1] It is found only in the nominative and accusative.^[2]

Etymology

The noun is related to sexus (“sex”), of which it seems the older formation, although the older texts have only ⟨sexus⟩.^[2][3][1] De Vaan considers a link with secō (“to cut”), as “a division”, but finds the formation unclear.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Sempronius Asellio, Histories: eum quem virīle secus tum in eō tempore habēbat, of the male sex he then had.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

It is one sex, or its members as a group, mostly in apposition after a noun of number, like id genus: virīle ac muliebre secus, “of the male and female sex”, in Sisenna, Sallust, Livy and Tacitus.^[2] Livy counts about ten thousand free persons of the male sex taken at New Carthage.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 100 BC – Sempronius Asellio.^[2][4]
• 120–67 BC – Sisenna of men and women on a wall.^[2][4]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy of captives of the male sex.^[2][4]
• 98–115 AD – Tacitus of besieged of both sexes.^[2][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A sex, gender; its members as a group (virīle secus, males, muliebre secus, females).^[2][1]

secus² otherwise

Pronunciation

• Classical: [ˈsɛ.kʊs]^[1]
• Ecclesiastical: [ˈsɛː.kus]^[1]

Forms

secus (comparative sequius, no superlative)^[1]

Etymology

The adverb has two explanations.^[3][1] The older one, followed by the OLD, takes it from the root of sequor (“to follow”), as an old participle “following”, so “later, less well”.^[3][2][1] In the view of Klingenschmitt, which de Vaan follows, it is inherited from Proto-Italic *sekʷos (“separate”), from Proto-Indo-European *se-ḱwo- (“by itself, separate”), with the prefix sē- (“apart”) and a suffix as in Sanskrit विश्व (víśva, “all”); this fits its cognates Old Irish sech (“past; without”) and Welsh heb (“without”), which a sense “following” does not explain.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan gives Livius Andronicus, Naevius and Plautus as its first authors.^[3] In Plautus' Captivi a man says hoc sī secus reperiēs, “if you find this otherwise”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It means “otherwise, differently”, often implying “badly”: Cato tells his hearers to see how differently he acted.^[2] Haud secus, “just so”, resumes after a simile, as Virgil's Arruns slinks off like a wolf, and nōn secus ac or quam is “not otherwise than”: Cicero did not speak otherwise than he felt.^[2] It also means “amiss, contrary to what was wished” (Cicero: even if things turned out badly), and paulō secus “not far off”.^[2] Its comparative is sequius, “less well, differently”.^[3][1] In inscriptions it is a preposition, “beside, along” and “in accordance with”, and Charisius reports a sense “after”.^[2]

Church Latin glosses it “otherwise, not so, differently, later”, and rarely as a preposition “by, beside, along, near”.^[5] Medieval Latin uses the preposition for “along, near, beside” and “in accordance with”.^[6]

Timeline

• 280/260–before 200 BC – Livius Andronicus.^[3][4]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus in the sense “otherwise”.^[2][4]
• 234–149 BC – Cato of acting differently.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of things turning out badly.^[2][4]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil: haud secus.^[2][4]

Meanings

Adverb

1. Otherwise, differently;^[2][1][5] nōn secus ac, just as.^[2][1][5]
2. Amiss, badly, contrary to what is wished.^[2]
3. paulō secus, nearly, not far off.^[2]

Preposition

1. (with accusative) Beside, along; in accordance with.^[2][1][6]

Word family

• altrīnsecus
• circumsecus
• extrīnsecus
• forīnsecus
• intrīnsecus
• utrimquesecus
• utrinsecus