solor

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈsoː.ɫɔr]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈsɔː.lor]^[1]

Forms

sōlor (present infinitive sōlārī, perfect active sōlātus sum); first conjugation, deponent^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *sōl-, a verb from a root noun Proto-Indo-European *sōlh₂- (“mercy, comfort”), as Schrijver explains it, though no such noun is attested.^[2][1] Cognate with Ancient Greek ἱλάσκομαι (hiláskomai, “to appease”) and perhaps Old Armenian աղաչեմ (ałačʻem, “to pray”).^[2] The OLD suggests an original meaning “to make favourable”, and compares Gothic 𐍃𐌴𐌻𐍃 (sēls, “good”).^[3] sōlācium “comfort” supposes an adjective *sōlāx.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus, whose character comforts the doubtful with his words.^[2][3] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to give comfort to a person, to console, and to relieve or mitigate a misfortune, as the countryman's songs that ease his toil.^[3] Lewis and Short call it poetic and post-Augustan, the classical prose verb being cōnsōlor.^[5] Gaffiot also gives the sense to compensate.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of comforting with words.^[3][4]
• 220–130 BC – Pacuvius uses it.^[3][4]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it.^[6][4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To comfort, console.^[3]
2. To relieve, mitigate (a misfortune).^[3]
3. To compensate.^[6]

Word family

• sōlācium
• sōlāmen
• sōlāmentum
• sōlātor
• cōnsōlor

Related words

• English solace
• English console

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.