temporarius
This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 17:43. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Pronunciation
Forms
temporārius (feminine temporāria, neuter temporārium); first/second-declension adjective[1]
Etymology
It is from tempus “time”, stem ⟨tempor-⟩, with the suffix -ārius.[2][1][3]
Earliest recorded meaning
The OLD's earliest citation is from Nepos, of something suited to the occasion.[2] Köbler dates Nepos c. 100–24 BC.[4]
Semantic evolution
It meant suited to the occasion, as in Nepos, and in Pliny the Elder built for the occasion, temporary, appointed for the time being, and transitory.[2] In Ulpian it was a legal term for what is subject to a time limit.[2]
In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant temporary, changeable, and Alcuin contrasts the Son of God, not temporary but eternal.[5][6] It was borrowed into French temporaire, and gave English temporary in the 1540s.[1][3]
Timeline
- c. 100–24 BC – Nepos uses it.[2][4]
- 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder uses it of the temporary.[2][4]
- 1540s – English temporary is recorded.[3]
Meanings
Adjective
- Suited to the occasion.[2]
- Temporary; appointed for the time being.[2]
- Transitory.[2]
- (law) Subject to a time limit.[2]
Related words
- tempus
- English temporary
- English contemporary
References
- ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
- ^ 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