vates Latin · revision 18097

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 250–184 BC, Plautus|origins=ine-pro *(H)weh₂t-i-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [ˈwaː.teːs]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈvaː.tes]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''vātēs''' ''m'' or f (genitive vātis); third declension^(Wiktionary)

+ Plautus has the nominative ''vātis'', and Cicero the genitive plural ''vātium'' beside ''vātum''.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|itc-pro|*wāt-(ē)i-]], [[inh|ine-pro|*(H)weh₂t-i-|t=seer]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) It is one of the words shared by Italic and Celtic: cognate with [[sga|fáith|t=seer, prophet]] and [[cy|gwawd|t=poem, satire]], and with a Gaulish word for seers recorded by Strabo.^(de Vaan 2008)^(OLD 2012)^(Etymonline) The OLD also compares [[got|𐍅𐍉𐌸𐍃|tr=wōþs|t=frenzied, possessed]].^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ De Vaan dates it from Plautus,^(de Vaan 2008) who has ''bonus vātēs poterās esse, nam quae sunt futūra dīcis'', “you could be a good prophet, for you tell what is to come”.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ ''Vātēs'' is “a prophet, seer”, seen as the mouthpiece of the god who possesses him, and also a prophetess.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary) From the Augustan poets on it is “a poet, bard”, as divinely inspired: Horace hopes to be counted among the ''lyricī vātēs'', “the lyric bards”.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ Church Latin glosses it “prophet, seer”,^(Stelten 1995) and in Medieval Latin it can mean “a bishop”.^(Niermeyer 1976) English [[m|en|vates]], “poet, bard”, is from the 1620s.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: ''bonus vātēs poterās esse''.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 65–8 BC – Horace: ''lyricīs vātibus''.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 1620s – English [[m|en|vates]].^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|prophet]], [[m|en|seer]], soothsayer; a prophetess.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)^(Stelten 1995)

+ # A [[m|en|poet]], [[m|en|bard]].^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(Medieval Latin)'' A bishop.^(Niermeyer 1976)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[vāticinor]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[en|vates]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}