telum

Forms

tēlum n (genitive tēlī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

The origin is uncertain.^[2][3] De Vaan reports two common proposals, ⟨*ten(d)-slo-⟩ “that with which one aims”, from tendō, and ⟨*teks-lo-⟩ “something built”, from texō “to weave”, and finds neither fully convincing.^[2][4] Wiktionary mentions Proto-Indo-European *(s)teg- (“beam, stake”), the source of tignum “beam”.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found in the Twelve Tables: sī tēlum manū fūgit magis quam iēcit, “if the weapon slipped from his hand rather than being thrown”.^[3][2][4]

Semantic evolution

Tēlum is a spear, thrown or thrust, and generally a missile: arrow, javelin or dart.^[3][5][1] Already in the Twelve Tables it is any weapon (sī sē tēlō dēfendit “if he defends himself with a weapon”), and it is coupled with arma, defensive arms.^[3][1]

It is used of the natural weapons of animals (a sting) and of prickles on plants, and figuratively of any weapon or shaft (tēlō suō “with his own weapon”).^[3]

Timeline

• c. 450 BC – Used in the Twelve Tables.^[3][2][4]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it figuratively: tēlō suō sibi, malitiā, “with his own weapon, cunning”.^[3][4]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar: multitūdine sagittārum atque omnis generis tēlōrum, “by a mass of arrows and missiles of every kind”.^[3][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A spear (thrown or thrust).^[3][1]
2. A missile, dart, javelin, arrow.^[3][5][6]
3. A weapon (in general).^[3][1]
4. A sting (of an animal); a prickle (of a plant).^[3][1]
5. (figurative) A weapon, shaft.^[3]

Word family

• prōtēlum
• prōtēlō

Related words

• arma
• hasta
• pīlum

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson