spatium Latin · revision 2899

+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|attested=Plautus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

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

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

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''spatium''' ''n'' (genitive spatiī or spatī); second declension^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The origin is uncertain.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) De Vaan considers a derivative of *sph₁-to- “prospered, fattened”, hence “extended”, from the root [[ine-pro|*speh₁-|t=to prosper]], possible but unprovable, and finds a link with [[pateo|alt=pateō]] “to be open” hard to make.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) The OLD compares [[sa|स्फायते|tr=sphā́yate|t=grows fat]], [[lt|spė́ti|t=to have time]] and [[ang|spēd|t=success]].^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ It is found from Plautus onwards,^(de Vaan 2008)^(Köbler 2010) whose parasite, training himself for the Olympic games, says of his run “but this course is short”.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Its first sense was a racecourse or a lap of it, as in Ennius and Virgil, and then a walk, especially a colonnaded one, and a turn taken in it.^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016) It meant an expanse of land, a gap or interval, room for something, a length or distance, and the extent of a surface.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ It was also used of time: a stretch of time, an interval, and the time available for doing something, as in Plautus' “I'll give him time to find out what I've done”.^(OLD 2012) Quintilian used it for a musical interval, and Cicero for the length of a metrical foot.^(OLD 2012) It survives as Italian ''spazio'', French ''espace'', Spanish ''espacio'', Portuguese ''espaço'' and Romanian ''spațiu'', and English ''space'' came from Old French about 1300.^(Wiktionary)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it for a racecourse and for a span of time.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it for a racecourse.^(Gaffiot 2016)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 50 BC – Caesar uses it for intervals of space and time.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it for colonnaded walks and for metrical length.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses it for a musical interval.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 1300 – English ''space'' is first recorded.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A racecourse; a lap.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+ # A walk, promenade; a turn (in a walk).^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+ # An expanse, area, [[m|en|space]].^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A gap, interval; room.^(OLD 2012)

+ # Length, distance; extent, size.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A period of time; an interval of time.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Time available, opportunity.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(music)'' An [[m|en|interval]].^(OLD 2012)

+ # ''(metre)'' The length of a foot.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[interspatium]]

+ * [[spatiolum]]

+ * [[spatiōsus]]

+ * [[spatior]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[spēs]]

+ * [[en|space]]

+ * [[en|spacious]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}