tangibilis

Forms

tangibilis (neuter tangibile); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin tangō + -bilis, “that can be touched”.^[1][2][3] De Vaan traces tangō (“to touch”) to Proto-Italic *tang-e- and Proto-Indo-European *th₂-n-g- (“to touch”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is post-Classical:^[2] the first author the dictionaries cite is Lactantius (c. 250–317 AD), who speaks of things that can be touched with the hand.^[2][5][3]

Semantic evolution

Jerome uses it in a letter in the same sense of a body that can be touched.^[2][6][7] Medieval Latin kept it as a term of natural philosophy and law: British writers speak of tangible qualities and species perceived by the sense of touch, and Bracton distinguishes corporeal things that cannot be touched from tangible ones.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 250–317 AD – Lactantius uses it of what can be touched with the hand.^[2][3]
• c. 383–419/420 AD – Jerome uses it in a letter.^[2][3]
• 1580s – English tangible is recorded, from French and directly from this word.^[9]

Meanings

Adjective

1. That can be touched, tangible, palpable.^{[2][5][6][10]}

Related words

• intangibilis
• tangō
• English tangible

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
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 Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
8. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
9. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill