Etymologically
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temno

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈtɛm.noː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈtɛm.no][1]

Forms

temnō (present infinitive temnere, perfect active tempsī or temsī, supine temptum or temtum); third conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is a back-formation from the older compound contemnō “to despise”, found from Plautus.[2][1] Its origin is disputed: the sense “scorn” probably grew from a concrete one.[2] Walde and Hofmann, Ernout and Meillet and the OLD derive it from *stemb- “to shake, pound”, as in Ancient Greek στέμβω (stémbō, “to shake about”), which de Vaan thinks is probably not Indo-European.[2][3] The LIV, Sihler and Meiser derive it from Proto-Indo-European *temh₁- (“to cut”), as in Ancient Greek τέμνω (témnō, “to cut”), with a nasal present *tm̥-n(e)-h₁-, and Lewis and Short already compared the Greek word.[2][1][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Lucretius, who reproaches someone for always longing for what is absent and scorning what is present.[2][4] Köbler dates Lucretius 96–55 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to scorn, despise, disdain, as Virgil's warning in the underworld not to scorn the gods.[3][6] Lewis and Short call it poetic and very rare beside the Classical contemnere.[4] Tacitus has haud temnenda manus, a force not to be despised.[6] Döderlein distinguishes spernō, to reject, contemnō, to think little of what is great or fearful, and dēspiciō, to look down on.[7]

English contempt comes from contemptus, the participle of the compound.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses the compound contemnere.[2][5]
  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses the simple verb.[4][5]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of scorning the gods.[6][5]
  • 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses it.[6][5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To scorn, despise.[3]

Word family

  • contumāx
  • English contempt

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f 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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  8. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com