sollerter

Forms

sollerter (comparative sollertius, superlative sollertissimē).^[2][3][4] Also spelled sōlerter.^[3][5]

Etymology

It is from Latin sollers (“skilful, ingenious”) + -ter.^[2][1] The adjective is a compound of sollus (“whole, entire”) and ars (“skill”), from ⟨*soll-arti-⟩.^[6] De Vaan traces ⟨sollus⟩ to Proto-Italic *solno- (“whole”) and, with some uncertainty about the preform, to Proto-Indo-European *sol(h₂)-no- (“whole”).^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler records it first in Cicero,^[7] who uses it in the De legibus and the superlative sollertissime in the Verrines.^[5][3][4]

Semantic evolution

It means cleverly, skilfully or resourcefully.^[2][5] Cicero has the comparative sollertius in the De natura deorum, and Ovid and Tacitus use the comparative too;^[3][4] Livy has the positive, and Apuleius the superlative.^[3][4]

In medieval Latin from Britain it also means diligently or assiduously: Bede uses it of careful instruction in metrics, and Asser says that King Alfred kept his handbook by him day and night solertissime.^[8]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it in the De legibus and the Verrines.^[5][3][7]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it.^[4][7]
• 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid uses the comparative.^[3][7]
• early 8th century – Bede uses it in the sense “diligently”.^[8][7]
• 893 – Asser uses the superlative of Alfred's handbook.^[8][7]

Meanings

Adverb

1. Cleverly, skilfully, resourcefully.^[2][5][4]
2. (Medieval Latin) Diligently, assiduously.^[8]

Related words

• sollers
• sollertia
• sollus
• ars

References

1. ^ a b c 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 e f g Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
4. ^ a b c d e f Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
5. ^ a b c d e Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ 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
7. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
8. ^ a b c d 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