unice

Forms

ūnicē (not comparable)^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin ūnicus (“one and only”) + -ē.^[2][1] That adjective comes from ūnus (“one”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Indo-European *Hoi-no- (“one”), cognate with Old Irish óen (“one”) and Lithuanian víenas (“one”).^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus often pairs it with ūnus, as in the Asinaria: mē ūnicē ūnum ex omnibus.^[5][2]

Semantic evolution

The OLD notes that it is frequent in familiar and colloquial contexts, meaning to a singular degree or especially.^[2] Cicero has loving someone above all others, Gellius delighting exceptionally, and Quintilian of an ornament Virgil was especially fond of.^[5] Horace's ūnicē sēcūrus means utterly unconcerned.^[5] Pliny the Elder uses it of a plant that is especially good for diseases of the breasts.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus, with ūnus, “the one and only”.^[5][2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero, of loving above all.^[5][4]
• 65–8 BC – Horace, “utterly unconcerned”.^[5][4]
• c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian, of Virgil's style.^[5][4]

Meanings

Adverb

1. To a singular degree, especially, particularly; utterly.^[2][5][1]
2. Alone, solely, uniquely;^[2][5][1] ūnicē ūnus, the one and only.^[2][5][1]

Related words

• ūnicus
• ūnus

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press