Etymologically
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turbidus

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈtʊr.bɪ.dʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈtur.bi.dus][1]

Forms

turbidus (feminine turbida, neuter turbidum, comparative turbidior, superlative turbidissimus); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from turba “turmoil, crowd” with the suffix -idus.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of stormy weather, as turbida tempestās heri fuit “there was a wild storm yesterday”, and Accius, of the sea.[2][3] Köbler's first source is Virgil; he dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant violently agitated, of the sea and storms, wild, stormy, of weather, and in Ovid dishevelled hair.[2] Of water it meant muddy, turbid, as in Cicero, and of air murky, of gems clouded.[2] It meant gloomy in expression, as in Virgil, and of times and conditions in turmoil, confused, as early as Ennius, and of sleep disturbed.[2] Of persons it meant wild, frantic, confused in mind, and in Tacitus unruly, mutinous.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant confused, wild.[5] It survives in Italian torbido, Spanish turbio and Portuguese turvo.[1] Late Latin turbidāre “to make turbid” and Vulgar Latin *turbulāre gave Old French trubler, the source of English trouble, and English turbid came in the 1620s.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of a storm.[2][3][4]
  • 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of troubled times.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of muddy water.[2][4]
  • 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses it of mutinous men.[2][4]
  • 1620s – English turbid is recorded.[6]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Agitated, turbulent; stormy; dishevelled.[2]
  2. Muddy, turbid; murky; clouded.[2]
  3. Gloomy, frowning.[2]
  4. Confused, disordered; disturbed.[2]
  5. Wild, frantic; dazed.[2]
  6. Unruly, mutinous.[2]

Word family

  • inturbidus
  • turbido
  • turbidulus

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com