sumptuosus

Forms

sūmptuōsus (feminine sūmptuōsa, neuter sūmptuōsum, comparative sūmptuōsior); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin sūmptus (“expense”) + -ōsus.^[2][1] sūmptus comes from sūmō (“to take; to spend”), a compound that de Vaan files under emō (“to take; to buy”); he traces that verb to Proto-Italic *eme/o- (“to take”) and Proto-Indo-European *h₁em-e/o- (“to take”).^[1][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Plautus.^[5] In the OLD's earliest quotation for persons Plautus asks whether it is not bad enough that Demipho is in love, without his also being extravagant.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Of things it is expensive, involving great outlay: Cato warns against a farm that is costly to run.^[2][6] Of possessions and entertainments it is costly as a sign of luxury, sumptuous, as Cicero's dinners and Horace's victim.^[2][6] Livy calls a war costly.^[6] Of persons it is lavish, extravagant, as in Plautus.^[2] English sumptuous comes from it, partly through Old French, from the late 15th century.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of extravagance in a man in love.^[2][5]
• 234–149 BC – Cato of a costly farm.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of costly dinners.^[6][5]
• late 15th century – English sumptuous.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Costly, expensive; sumptuous, luxurious.^[2][6][1]
2. Of persons, lavish, extravagant.^[2][6][1]

Word family

• sumptuositas

Related words

• sūmptus
• sūmō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press