Etymologically
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utilis

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈuː.tɪ.lɪs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈuː.ti.lis][1]

Forms

ūtilis (neuter ūtile, comparative ūtilior, superlative ūtilissimus or ūtillimus, adverb ūtiliter); third-declension two-termination adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from ūtor “to use” with the suffix -ilis; compare ūtēnsilis.[1][2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Plautus, whom he dates c. 250–184 BC, and Lewis and Short cite Cato's hae hamae ūtilēs sunt “these buckets are useful”.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

It meant useful, serviceable, beneficial, profitable, advantageous, absolutely or with a dative of the person, as in Cicero and Caesar.[2][3]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant useful, profitable, beneficial, serviceable.[5] Medieval Latin used it of things in good condition and of persons skilful, competent and honest, and British Medieval Latin of what is legally valid.[6][7] It survives in Italian and French utile and Spanish and Portuguese útil.[1] English utile came through Old French in the late 15th century, and English utilize in 1794 from French utiliser.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus has the word.[4]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato calls buckets ūtilēs.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of what is useful to someone.[3][4]
  • late 15th century – English utile is recorded.[8]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Useful, serviceable, beneficial, profitable.[2][3]
  2. (Medieval Latin) Of things, sound; of persons, skilful, competent.[6]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Legally valid.[7]

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  4. ^ a b c d 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 Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  7. ^ a b 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
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com