trepidatio
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Pronunciation
Forms
trepidātiō f (genitive trepidātiōnis); third declension[1]
Etymology
It is from Latin trepido (“to tremble, waver”) + -tiō.[2][1]
Earliest recorded meaning
Köbler dates its first use to Hirtius, c. 50 BC.[3] Cicero, in the speech for King Deiotarus, asks whether there was any alarm or uproar.[2][4]
Semantic evolution
It was a state of confused alarm or hurry, agitation and consternation.[2][4] Lewis & Short note it is rare before the Augustan period.[4][2] Livy and Tacitus use it of confusion in an army or a city.[5] Seneca uses it of physical trembling of the nerves.[2][5]
In medieval British Latin it meant fearfulness.[6] English trepidation is recorded around 1600.[7]
Timeline
- c. 50 BC – Hirtius uses it.[3]
- 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of alarm.[2][3]
- 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca uses it of trembling.[2][3]
- c. 1600 – English trepidation is recorded.[7]
Meanings
Noun
- Confused alarm, agitation, trepidation.[2][4]
- Trembling, twitching.[2][1]
Related words
- trepidus
- English trepidation
References
- ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
- ^ 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
- ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com