specialiter

Forms

speciāliter (comparative speciālius)^[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Latin speciālis (“particular, special”) + -ter.^[1] Köbler traces it further to speciēs (“appearance, kind”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Celsus (14–37 AD),^[3] meaning “specially, distinctly” (5.24.4).^[2]

Semantic evolution

Its main sense was “in particular, individually”, the opposite of generaliter.^[1][4] Columella used it for treating vines by their varieties rather than all together,^[1][2] and Quintilian also has it.^[2] In Ecclesiastical Latin it means “especially, in particular”.^[5]

Timeline

• 14–37 AD – Celsus uses it.^[2][3]
• 1st century AD – Columella uses it of vines kept apart by variety.^[1][2][3]
• c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses it.^[2][3]

Meanings

Adverb

1. In particular, specifically, individually.^[1][4][2]
2. According to species or variety.^[1][2]
3. (Ecclesiastical Latin) Especially.^[5]

Related words

• specialis

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
5. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson