uber

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈuː.bɛr]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈuː.ber]^[1]

Forms

ūber n (genitive ūberis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *ouþ-r-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ówHdʰr̥ (“udder”), an r/n-stem with the /r/ carried into all cases.^[2][1] Cognate with Sanskrit ऊधर् (ū́dhar), Ancient Greek οὖθαρ (oûthar), Old High German ūtar and English udder.^[3][1] De Vaan explains the vowel by the loss of the second laryngeal from an o-grade root.^[2] The adjective ūber “fruitful” is from the noun.^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Ennius.^[2] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant a woman's breast as the source of milk, as Lucretius' child who seeks the breast in its sleep, and an animal's udder or teats, which Varro wants large in goats.^[3] From there it came to mean rich soil, Virgil's land fertile in its richness, and abundant produce.^[3] Döderlein distinguishes mamma, the visible breast, from ūber, the breast filled with milk.^[5]

The adjective ūber meant copious, abundant, rich, and of style rich and luxuriant; its noun ūbertās meant fertility.^[3] In Medieval Latin the “breasts of the north” were two mountains in the Caucasus.^[6]

Timeline

• 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it.^[2][4]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius speaks of a child seeking the breast.^[3][4]
• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of goats' udders.^[3][4]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of rich soil.^[3][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A woman's breast, teat.^[3]
2. An animal's udder, (plural) dugs.^[3]
3. Richness of soil; fertile land.^[3]
4. Abundant produce, plenty.^[3]

Adjective

1. Copious, abundant, plentiful.^[3]
2. Rich, valuable, (of style) rich, luxuriant.^[3]

Word family

• inūber
• ūberō
• ūbertās
• ūbertus

Related words

• ūbertim
• ūbertō
• cāseus
• lac
• mulgeō
• mamma
• English udder
• English exuberant

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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 d e f g h i j k l m n Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
6. ^ 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