sollus

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈsɔl.lʊs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈsɔl.lus]^[1]

Forms

sollus (feminine solla, neuter sollum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is an Oscan word, borrowed from Oscan sullus (“all, whole”); as a Latin word it survives only in compounds such as sollers and sollicitus.^[2][3] The Italic word is Proto-Italic *solno- (“whole”), from Proto-Indo-European *sol(h₂)-no- (“whole”).^[4][1] Nussbaum argues that it may instead come from *solh₂wo-, the source of salvus.^[4] Cognate with Paelignian solois (“to all”), Welsh holl (“all”), Old Irish slán (“whole, sound”), Ancient Greek ὅλος (hólos, “whole”) and Sanskrit सर्व (sárva, “all”).^[4][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lucilius uses it of pots bought though not whole, as Festus reports.^[3][4] Köbler dates Lucilius c. 180–102 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant whole, entire or unbroken.^[2][1] Festus explains sollum as Oscan for “whole” and “customary”, and derives from it the javelin sōliferreum, made wholly of iron, and sollers, a man skilled in good arts.^[3]

De Vaan explains sollicitus as “wholly stirred”, and connects sollemnis “performed according to the rites, solemn”.^[4] From these come English solicit, recorded in the early 15th century as “to disturb, trouble”, and English solemn in the mid-14th.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius uses it of unbroken pots.^[3][5]
• 2nd half of the 2nd century AD – Festus explains it as Oscan for “whole”.^[3][5]
• early 15th century – English solicit is recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. whole, entire, unbroken.^[2][1]

Word family

• sōliferreum
• sollemnis
• sollers
• sollicitus
• sollicūrius
• solōx

Related words

• salvus
• English solicit
• English solemn
• English solid

References

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