negotium Latin · revision 17889

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=c. 250–184 BC, Plautus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [nɛˈɡoː.ti.ũː]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [neˈɡɔt.t͡si.um]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''negōtium''' ''n'' (genitive negōtiī or negōtī); second declension^(Wiktionary)

+ Late manuscripts also spell it ''negōcium''.^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a compound of the negative [[m|la|neg-]] (as in [[neque]]) and [[ōtium]] “leisure”: “lack of leisure”.^(OLD 2012)^(TLL)^(Wiktionary)^(de Vaan 2008) Benveniste argued that it was a calque of [[grc|ἀσχολία|tr=askholía|t=lack of leisure, occupation]]; de Vaan asks why the Romans did not then say ⟨*in-ōtium⟩, and finds no etymology for ⟨ōtium⟩.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) Festus already explains it as what is not leisure.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(TLL)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ De Vaan dates it from Plautus,^(de Vaan 2008) who has ''verba hīc faciō, quasi negōtī nīl siet'', “I'm making speeches here as if I had nothing to do”.^(OLD 2012) Köbler cites it from Ennius.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ ''Negōtium'' is first being busy, “work, business”, and “difficulty, trouble” (''nūllō negōtiō'' “without trouble”).^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) It is also a particular task or job, public business (''negōtia pūblica''), a person's affairs and interests, commercial business, and a lawsuit.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary) It can also mean simply “matter, thing”, like Greek ''prâgma''.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ In Medieval Latin it can mean a lawsuit, a market, merchandise, and in the plural the appurtenances of an estate.^(Niermeyer 1976) English [[m|en|negotiate]] (1590s) comes from its derivative ''[[negōtior]]'' “to do business”.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: ''quasi negōtī nīl siet'';^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010) ''uxōrī facitō ut nūntiēs negōtium mihi esse in urbe'', “tell my wife I have business in town”.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of a job on the farm and of public affairs.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero: a famous man killed ''nūllō negōtiō'', “without any difficulty”.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 1590s – English [[m|en|negotiate]].^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # Work, [[m|en|business]], occupation.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Difficulty, pains;^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary) trouble, annoyance.^(OLD 2012)

+ # A task, job, [[m|en|employment]];^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary) ''negōtium dare'', to commission.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(often plural)'' Public business; private affairs, interests.^(OLD 2012)

+ # Commercial business, trade.^(OLD 2012)

+ # A [[m|en|lawsuit]].^(OLD 2012)^(Niermeyer 1976)

+ # A matter, thing.^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(Medieval Latin)'' A market; merchandise.^(Niermeyer 1976)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[negōtiālis]]

+ * [[negōtiolum]]

+ * [[negōtior]]

+ * [[negōtiōsus]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[negōtiāns]]

+ * [[negōtiātiō]]

+ * [[negōtiātor]]

+ * [[ōtium]]

+ * [[en|negotiate]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}