suspiciosus

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [sʊs.pɪ.kiˈoː.sʊs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [sus.pi.t͡ʃiˈɔː.s̬us]^[1]

Forms

suspiciōsus (feminine suspiciōsa, neuter suspiciōsum, superlative suspiciōsissimus); first/second-declension adjective^[1] Also spelled suspītiōsus; superlative suspīciōsissimus.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin suspīciō (“suspicion”) + -ōsus, from suspiciō “to look up at; to suspect”.^[3][1][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's earliest source is Plautus, and the OLD's earliest citation is Terence.^[4][3] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant of persons full of mistrust, ready to suspect, suspicious, as in Terence and Cicero, and of circumstances arousing mistrust, suspicious, as in the Rhetorica ad Herennium.^[3][5]

English suspicious (mid-14th century) is from it through Anglo-French.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[4]
• 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of mistrustful persons.^[3][4]
• 86/82 BC – The Rhetorica ad Herennium uses it of circumstances.^[3][4]
• mid-14th century – English suspicious is recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Mistrustful, suspicious.^[3][2]
2. Arousing suspicion.^[3]

Related words

• suspīciō
• suspectus
• English suspicious

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com