Etymologically
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sumptus

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈsuːmp.tʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈsump.tus][1]

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

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