Etymologically
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summa

Etymology and origin of the Latin word summa

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (superus)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈsʊm.ma], [ˈsʊm.maː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈsum.ma], [ˈsum.ma][1]

Forms

summa f (genitive summae); first declension[1]

Etymology

It is the feminine of summus “highest”, the superlative of superus “upper”, used as a noun.[2][1][3] Lucretius has an old genitive ⟨summāī⟩.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of the sum total of hopes, and Cato, of a total number.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant the total number or amount, especially in accounts, as in Terence, and a sum of money, summa pecūniae.[2] It meant the full extent of anything, a whole, and in Lucretius summa rērum the universe.[2] It meant the whole as distinct from its parts, the whole issue of a case, the general matter, overall control, and summa rērum the interests of the state, as in Terence.[2] It meant the gist or substance of what is said, ad summam “in short”, as in Cicero, and the crowning stage, completion.[2] Lewis and Short and Gaffiot also give the highest place, as Cicero's summam ōrdinis.[3][5]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant summit, perfection, sum, summary, the main thing, and in scholastic use a summa was a work treating a whole subject in order.[6] Medieval Latin used it of a textbook or compendium.[7] It passed through Old French summe into English sum about 1300, and gave English summary through summārium.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of the sum of hopes.[2][4]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of a total.[2][4]
  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses summa rērum of the universe.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses ad summam “in short”.[2][4]
  • c. 1300 – English sum is recorded, through Old French.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The total, sum; a sum of money.[2]
  2. The full extent; a whole, summa rērum, the universe.[2]
  3. The whole issue; overall control, summa rērum, the interests of the state.[2]
  4. The gist, substance, ad summam, in short.[2]
  5. The culmination, completion.[2]
  6. The highest place.[5]
  7. (Medieval Latin) A compendium, textbook.[7][6]

Word family

  • summalis
  • summārium
  • summula
  • summās
  • summātim
  • summātus

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 o Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Summa.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/summa. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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