praecipue Latin · revision 30745

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=c. 250–184 BC, Plautus|origins=la capiō}}

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''praecipuē''' (comparative praecipuius, superlative praecipuissimē)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is formed [[af|la|praecipuus|-ē|t1=special, chief]].^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary) The adjective is formed from [[m|la|prae-|t=before]], [[m|la|capiō|t=to take]] and the suffix [[m|la|-uus]], “taken first”;^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary) Wiktionary derives it from [[m|la|praecipiō]].^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary) De Vaan traces ⟨capiō⟩ to [[itc-pro|*kap-i-]], perhaps [[ine-pro|*kh₂p-i-]] or a non-Indo-European ⟨*kap-⟩ “to seize”, cognate with [[grc|κάπτω|tr=káptō|t=to gulp down]] and [[got|𐌷𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌽|tr=haban|t=to have]].^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Plautus, ''Mostellaria'', asks why a woman humours one man ''praecipuē'', in a way special to him, and spurns the others.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From “specially, peculiarly” it came to mean “more than anything else, especially, chiefly”: Cicero finds every virtue in King Deiotarus, but ''praecipuē'' his unique frugality.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary) Adding a last item to a list it means “above all”, as in Horace's wise man, free, honoured, handsome and above all healthy, unless his phlegm troubles him.^(OLD 2012) Wiktionary gives a comparative ''praecipuius'' and a superlative ''praecipuissimē''.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus in the sense “specially”.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero of Deiotarus' frugality.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

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

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # Specially, [[m|en|peculiarly]].^(OLD 2012)

+ # [[m|en|especially]], [[m|en|particularly]], chiefly.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Above all.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[praecipuus]]

+ * [[praecipiō]]

+ * [[capiō]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}