vesanus

Forms

vēsānus (feminine vēsāna, neuter vēsānum); first/second-declension adjective^[1] It is also spelled vaesānus.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin vē- (“not, badly”) + sānus (“sound, healthy”).^[2][1][4] De Vaan traces sānus to Proto-Italic *sāno- and calls Proto-Indo-European *seh₂-no- a purely mechanical reconstruction; he suggests a root meaning to tie, so “in order”, or the root of satis (“enough”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Catullus.^[4] Catullus writes of a mad flame that burned his marrow.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It is acting without reason or self-control, mad, frenzied.^[2] Cicero uses it of a tribune of the plebs and other men, and Horace of a mad poet.^[3] Of actions and feelings it is wild: Virgil writes of mad hunger, and Horace of the raging star of the Lion.^[2][3] Lewis & Short call it mostly poetic.^[3] It is also spelled ⟨vaes-⟩.^[2][3]

Timeline

• 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus of a mad passion.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of a mad tribune.^[3][4]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil of mad hunger.^[2][4]
• 65–8 BC – Horace of a mad poet and of the raging Lion.^[3][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of people, mad, insane, frenzied; impetuous.^[2][3][1]
2. Of actions, feelings and things, wild, furious, raging.^[2][3][1]

Word family

• vēsānia
• vēsāniō

Related words

• sānus
• īnsānus
• vēcors

References

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