Etymologically
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uber

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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
  • 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