seriosus
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Pronunciation
Forms
sēriōsus (feminine sēriōsa, neuter sēriōsum); first/second-declension adjective[1]
Etymology
It is from Latin sērius (“serious, earnest”) + -ōsus.[1][2][3] It is the source of French sérieux and Italian serioso,[1] and through Old French serios of English serious.[4]
Earliest recorded meaning
The earliest record Köbler gives is from the mid-11th century,[3] in the sense “serious, earnest”.[2][3]
Semantic evolution
It kept the sense “serious, grave”: Vincent of Beauvais describes a man as multumque sēriōsus et gravis in mōribus, “very serious and grave in his ways”,[5] and a papal letter of 1299 urges per sēriōsās litterās, “by earnest letters”.[6] Neo-Latin writers still used it, among them Aurispa and Bruno.[7]
Timeline
- mid 11th century – First recorded.[3]
- 1299 – A papal letter uses it for “earnest”.[6]
- early 15th century – English serious appears, from Old French and Late Latin.[4]
- 1535 – A document speaks of a sēriōsa et omnimoda mēns, a serious and complete intention.[7]
Meanings
Adjective
Related words
References
- ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
- ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
- ^ a b c 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
- ^ a b Ramminger, Johann, Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, www.neulatein.de