Etymologically
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uniformis

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 14:48. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [uː.nɪˈfoːr.mɪs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [u.niˈfɔr.mis][1]

Forms

ūnifōrmis (neuter ūnifōrme, adverb ūniformiter); third-declension two-termination adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from ūni- “one” and -fōrmis “having the form of”, from fōrma.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lewis and Short call it post-Augustan, and their earliest example is from Tacitus' Dialogus, of a simple and uniform teaching.[4][5] Köbler dates Tacitus 98–115 AD.[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant having only one shape or form, simple, uniform, limited to a single kind, as in Tacitus and Macrobius.[2][4][5]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant uniform, having one form, simple, and ūniformiter in one and the same manner.[7] British Medieval Latin used it for consistent, uniform, and in mathematics of a uniform addition.[8] It survives in Italian, Spanish and French uniforme, and French gave English uniform in the late 15th century, “unvarying in form”.[1][3]

Timeline

  • 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses it of simple teaching.[4][6]
  • first half of the 5th century AD – Macrobius uses it.[5][6]
  • late 15th century – English uniform is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of one form; simple, uniform.[2]

Word family

  • uniformitas

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  8. ^ 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