sons

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈsõːs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈsɔns]^[1]

Forms

sōns (genitive sontis); third-declension one-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *sont- (“being”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₁s-ónt-s (“existing, real”), the present participle of the root Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- (“to be”) of sum.^[2][3][1] Cognate with Hittite ašant- (“true, real”), Sanskrit सन्त् (sánt, “being, real”), Ancient Greek ὤν (ṓn, “being”) and English sooth.^[2][1] The original sense “being, real” survives in sonticus “real, genuine”, said of a disease or excuse.^[2] The sense “guilty” comes from “the one who it is, the real one”, the same development as English sin.^[3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant guilty, criminal, and as a noun a guilty person, as Virgil's Mezentius who wishes he had given his guilty life.^[3][5] Festus glosses it nocēns, harmful, as against īnsōns, innocent, and by transfer it was used of things associated with guilt, as poison.^[3][5] The nominative singular is known only from grammarians.^[3]

In Medieval Latin it meant guilty or sinful, a sinner, and as a neuter noun guilt, sin.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[2][4]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil's Mezentius speaks of his guilty life.^[3][4]
• 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid uses it.^[5][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Guilty, criminal.^[3]
2. Harmful.^[5]
3. (Medieval Latin) Sinful.^[6]

Noun

1. A guilty person, (Medieval Latin) a sinner.^[5][6]

Word family

• īnsōns
• sonticus

Related words

• sum
• English sooth
• English sin

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
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. ^ 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 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