stultitia

Forms

stultitia f (genitive stultitiae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from stultus (“foolish”) with the suffix -itia.^[2][1] De Vaan derives ⟨stultus⟩ from ⟨*stolto-⟩, perhaps *stl̥-to-, and calls the further etymology uncertain, Pokorny connected it and stolidus (“dull”) with Proto-Indo-European *stel- (“to place”), so that both first meant “inert”.^[3][1] Wiktionary reconstructs Proto-Italic *stoltos and compares Ancient Greek στελεός (steleós).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler give Plautus as its first author.^[3][4] In the Truculentus a character admits “that deed is mine, the folly is mine”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It is stupidity or folly, which Cicero distinguishes from mere error: “not every error should be called folly”.^[5] It is also a particular foolish act, as Cicero's man who could not bear people's absurdities and follies.^[2]

Church Latin glosses it “foolishness, folly, stupidity”.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of a foolish act.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of folly as against error.^[5][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. Folly, stupidity, foolishness.^[2][1][6]
2. A foolish act.^[2]

Related words

• stultus
• stolidus
• īnsipientia

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b 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 Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson