seminex

Pronunciation

• Classical: [ˈseː.mɪ.nɛks]^[1]
• Ecclesiastical: [ˈsɛː.mi.neks]^[1]

Forms

sēminex (genitive sēminecis); third-declension one-termination adjective^[1] The OLD finds no nominative or genitive singular in its quotations;^[2] Georges cites the nominative only from glossaries and the genitive singular sēminecis from late authors.^[3]

Etymology

It is from Latin sēmi- (“half”) + nex (“death, violent death”),^[2][1][4] The noun nex goes back, according to de Vaan, to Proto-Italic *nek- and Proto-Indo-European *neḱ-s (“death”).^[5]

Cognate with Ancient Greek νεκρός (nekrós, “dead body, dead person”) and Sanskrit नश्यति (náśyati, “to perish, disappear”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler records it first in Virgil,^[6] who uses it of a half-dead serpent (seminecem lacerumque) and of a man from whom arms are taken while he is still half alive.^[7][8][9]

Semantic evolution

It means half-dead, of people and animals.^[2][3] Livy uses it of a man found half-dead, Tacitus of men left half-dead, and Ovid of limbs still quivering (semineces artus).^[8][9] Silius Italicus speaks of breathing out a half-extinguished life.^[9][3]

Medieval writers in Britain use it in verse and prose; an English–Latin word list gives it for “half dead”.^[10]

Timeline

• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it in the Aeneid.^[9][7][6]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of a man found half-dead.^[8][9][6]
• 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid uses it of quivering limbs.^[9][6]
• 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses it of men left half-dead.^[8][6]
• early 8th century – Bede uses it in his verse Life of Cuthbert.^[10][6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Half-dead.^[2][11][4]
2. (of limbs) Still quivering, not yet cold.^[9][3]

Related words

• nex
• sēmianimis
• sēmivīvus
• necō

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
4. ^ a b Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier
5. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T. (1890), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: American Book Company
9. ^ a b c d e f g Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
10. ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
11. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press