admodum Latin · revision 31040

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=c. 235–200 BC, Naevius|origins=ine-pro *med-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * Classical: [ˈad.mɔ.dũː]^(Wiktionary)

+ * Ecclesiastical: [ˈad.mo.dum]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''admodum''' (not comparable)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a compound of [[m|la|ad|t=to]] and [[m|la|modum]], the accusative of [[m|la|modus|t=measure]], literally “up to the measure”.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)^(Lewis & Short 1879) De Vaan traces ⟨modus⟩ to [[itc-pro|*medo-|t=measure]] and [[ine-pro|*med-o-|t=measure]], cognate with [[xum|mers|t=law]].^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ De Vaan and Köbler give Naevius as its first author.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Köbler 2010) Plautus has it often, as ''trīstis admodum est'', “he is very sad”, in the ''Menaechmi''.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ With verbs it is “to a great extent, greatly”, and with adjectives and adverbs “very, quite”; after a negative it is “altogether”, and ''nihil admodum'' is “nothing at all”.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) With ages and amounts it means “quite”, as Plautus' “he is quite a young man”, with numbers “fully” (Caesar's fully 120 towers) or “only” (Curtius), and in answers “yes, quite”.^(OLD 2012) Lewis and Short note that poets other than the comic writers scarcely use it.^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+

+ Church Latin glosses it “very, exceedingly, completely”.^(Stelten 1995)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 235–200 BC – Naevius.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of “very” and in answers.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 50 BC – Caesar with numbers.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero of “at all”.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # To a great extent, [[m|en|greatly]]; very, quite.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+ # ''(after a negative)'' Altogether, ''nihil admodum'', nothing at all.^(OLD 2012)^(Stelten 1995)

+ # ''(with ages, amounts)'' Quite, ''(with numbers)'' fully; only.^(OLD 2012)

+ # ''(in answers)'' Yes, quite, precisely.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[modus]]

+ * [[modo]]

+ * [[valdē]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Döderlein ranks ''admodum'', with [[valdē]] and [[multum]], as a simple, quiet intensive, against [[perquam]], which adds the speaker's astonishment.^(Döderlein 1874)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}