substantivus

Forms

substantīvus (feminine substantīva, neuter substantīvum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin substantia (“substance, being”).^[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tertullian is the first to use it, of something that exists by itself: in Against Praxeas he speaks of a res substantiva.^[2][3][4]

Semantic evolution

Lewis & Short call it post-classical.^[2] The grammarian Priscian used verbum substantivum, the substantive verb, for sum, translating Greek ὑπαρκτικόν (huparktikón).^[2][3] The neuter used as a noun, short for nomen substantivum, became the grammatical term for a noun, opposed to the adjective.^[6][7] Medieval British authors also use it in the general sense “substantial”, and John of Salisbury contrasts the substantive with the adjective that colours it.^[7] It passed into Italian as sostantivo^[8] and into English, through Old French substantif, in the late 14th century.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian speaks of a res substantiva, a self-existent thing.^[2][4]
• 6th century AD – Priscian calls sum the verbum substantivum.^[2][3][4]
• late 14th century – English borrows it as a grammatical term.^[6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Existing by itself, self-existent; substantial.^[2][3][7]
2. (grammar) substantive: verbum substantivum, the verb sum “to be”.^[2][9][8]
3. (grammar, neuter as noun) A noun, a substantive.^[7][6]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c d 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
8. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
9. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.