vibratus

Forms

vibrātus m (genitive vibrātūs); fourth declension^[1]

Etymology

It is a fourth-declension noun of action from Latin vibrō (“to shake, brandish”).^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in Martianus Capella, in the 5th century AD, of the flickering of light (luminis vibratus) and of repeated flashes of fire.^[2][4][5]

Semantic evolution

Lewis and Short call it post-classical,^[2] and Georges equates it with vibrāmen.^[3] In British medieval Latin it meant glitter or brilliance, also figuratively, as of the radiance of a doctrine.^[6]

Timeline

• 5th century AD – Martianus Capella uses it for flickering light.^[2][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A quivering, tremulous motion; a flicker.^[2][7]
2. Glitter, sparkle.^[4][6]
3. (Medieval Latin) Brilliance, in a figurative sense.^[6]

Usage notes

Beside the noun stands vibrātus, the past participle of vibrō, used as an adjective “flashing, glittering” only in the comparative vibratior, in Martianus Capella and Ausonius.^[3][4]

References

1. ^ 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 Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
4. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c 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
7. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier