spinosus

Forms

spīnōsus (feminine spīnōsa, neuter spīnōsum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin spīna (“thorn”) + -ōsus.^[2][1] De Vaan lists it among the derivatives of spīna, which goes back to Proto-Italic *speinā- and Proto-Indo-European *spein-, perhaps from the same base as spīca (“ear of grain”).^[3] Cognate with Latvian spina (“rod”) and Old High German spinela (“hairpin”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Catullus,^[4] who speaks figuratively of thorny, stinging cares, spinosas curas.^[5][6] De Vaan dates it from Varro,^[3] who says goats graze in thorny places.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Of plants and their parts it means thorny or prickly:^[2][7] Ovid has fire set under thorny herbs, and Pliny the Elder uses it of leaves, stalks and bark.^[2][7] It also meant overgrown with thorn bushes, as in Varro,^[2] and covered with sharp points, as of a stone Celsus describes.^[2][6] A scholiast on Juvenal calls the hedgehog a spīnōsum animal.^[5]

Figuratively it meant thorny or difficult, and of style or argument crabbed and over-subtle:^[2][8] Varro calls some of his points thornier, Cicero speaks of a captious spinosa oratio and of matters that are too subtle,^[8][6] and Augustine of very thorny disciplines.^[5][8] British medieval writers kept the literal senses, of plants, prickly animals and land covered in thorn bushes.^[9]

Timeline

• 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus uses it of thorny cares.^[5][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of over-subtle argument.^[8][4]
• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of thorny places where goats graze.^[2][4]
• 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid uses it of thorny herbs.^[2][4]
• 354–430 AD – Augustine uses the superlative of difficult disciplines.^[5][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (of plants) Thorny, prickly.^[2][7]
2. Covered with thorn bushes.^[2]
3. Covered with sharp points or spikes.^[2][6]
4. (figuratively) Stinging; difficult;^[2][8] (of style or argument) crabbed, over-subtle.^[2][8]

Word family

• spinosulus

Related words

• spīna
• spīnētum

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d e Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
6. ^ a b c d Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b c d e f Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
9. ^ 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