Etymologically
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septingenti

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [sɛp.tɪŋˈɡɛn.tiː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [sep.tin̠ʲˈd͡ʒɛn.ti][1]

Forms

septingentī (feminine septingentae, neuter septingenta); first/second-declension numeral, plural only[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin septem (“seven”) + centum (“hundred”).[2][1][3] De Vaan explains the form as a regular outcome of ⟨*septengentoi⟩, from Proto-Indo-European *septm-dḱmt-oi.[4] He traces septem to Proto-Italic *septm̥ and Proto-Indo-European *septḿ̥ (“seven”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus has it first,[4][3] of seven hundred coins in the Rudens.[5]

Semantic evolution

It is an ordinary numeral: Ennius speaks of seven hundred years, Cicero of seven hundred years of memory and of seven hundred miles, and Livy of seven hundred soldiers.[5] Pliny the Elder counts stadia with it.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus, of seven hundred coins.[5][4][3]
  • 204–169 BC – Ennius, of seven hundred years.[5][3]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero, of seven hundred years of memory.[5][3]

Meanings

Numeral

  1. Seven hundred.[2][5][1]

Word family

  • septingēnī
  • septingentēsimus
  • septingenties

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c d 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 c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press