sumptus

Forms

sūmptus m (genitive sūmptūs); fourth declension^[1] It is also spelled sumtus.^[2] Early Latin sometimes has the genitive sumptī (Plautus, Cato, Lucilius, Varro).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from sūmō (“to take; to spend”) with the suffix -tus.^[2][3] The verb is sub- with emō (“to take; to buy”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *eme- (“to take”) and Proto-Indo-European *h₁em- (“to take”); the same compound is in Umbrian sumtu (“to take”).^[1][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus, Mostellaria: thirty minae are nothing compared with what another man spends lavishly (dapsilis sumptūs facit).^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

It is the spending of money, outlay, and sumptum facere is to spend; on its own it is often lavish or extravagant spending.^[2] It is a charge or expense: in Plautus whatever one spends on a bad wife is sumptus, on a good guest it is profit.^[2] Meō sumptū is “at my expense”, and sumptī facere to go to the cost of something.^[2] Terence uses it of the money allowed to a young man for his spending.^[2]

Church Latin glosses it “cost, charges, expense”.^[6] In Medieval Latin it is also food and victuals, upkeep, and movable goods.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of spending and of an expense.^[2][5]
• 190–159 BC – Terence of an allowance for expenses.^[2][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. The spending of money, expenditure, outlay; extravagant spending.^[2][1]
2. An expense, cost, charge, meō sumptū, at my expense.^[2][1][6]
3. Money allowed for expenses.^[2]
4. (Medieval Latin) Victuals; upkeep; movable goods.^[7]

Word family

• sūmptuārius
• sūmptuōsus

Related words

• sūmō
• emō

Usage notes

Döderlein distinguishes sumptus, expense that reduces one's wealth and borders on prodigality, from impēnsae, expense laid out to reach an object.^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
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 Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
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. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper