transfugium

Forms

trānsfugium n (genitive trānsfugiī or trānsfugī); second declension^[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Latin trānsfugiō (“to desert to the enemy”) + -ium.^[1][2][3] That verb is a compound of fugiō (“to flee”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Indo-European *bʰug-i- (“to flee”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler finds it first in Livy,^[3] who uses the plural of cases of desertion to the enemy: ut transfugia impeditiora essent (“so that desertions would be harder”).^[5][2]

Semantic evolution

Lewis & Short call it very rare.^[5] Tacitus uses it of desertions in civil war, which were frequent, in the Histories and the Annals.^[5][6] Georges notes that the plural usually means single cases or chances of desertion.^[2]

In Late Latin it was used figuratively of a change of allegiance: Prudentius has it of a passing over to Rome,^[5][2] and Sidonius Apollinaris of a conversion from Judaism to Christ.^[5][2] British medieval writers use it of flight and defection, as William of Malmesbury does of Edgar's defection to the Scot.^[7]

Timeline

• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of desertion to the enemy.^[5][3]
• 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses it of desertions in civil war.^[5][3]
• 348/49–c. 413 AD – Prudentius uses it of a passing over to Rome.^[5][2][3]
• c. 431–486 AD – Sidonius Apollinaris uses it of a conversion to Christ.^[5][2][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. The act of going over to the enemy, desertion.^[1][5]
2. (Late Latin) A change of allegiance, a going over (to another religion or place).^[5][2]
3. (Medieval Latin) Flight, defection.^[7]

Related words

• trānsfuga

References

1. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
3. ^ a b c d e f 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 c d e f g h i j k Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b 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