biduum Latin · revision 31136

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=190–159 BC, Terence|origins=la bis, la diēs}}

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''bīduum''' ''n'' (genitive bīduī); second declension^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a compound of [[m|la|bi-|t=two]] and ⟨*diuom⟩, a form related to [[m|la|diēs|t=day]], “two days”.^(OLD 2012)^(TLL)^(Wiktionary) The TLL compares [[m|la|triduum]] and [[m|la|interdiū|t=by day]].^(TLL) De Vaan traces ⟨diēs⟩ to [[itc-pro|*diē-]] and [[ine-pro|*di-eu-|t=clear sky, god of the sky]].^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Köbler gives Terence as its first author:^(Köbler 2010) in the ''Eunuchus'' a lover begs “grant me only two days at least”.^(TLL)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It is a period of two days, frequent in prose, as Cicero's “a day or at most two” taken out of a month, Caesar's ''bīduum supererat'' “two days were left”, and Livy's two days given to owners to recognise their property.^(TLL)^(OLD 2012) Among the poets only Terence and Avienus use it.^(TLL)

+

+ The pilgrim Egeria writes ''fēcimus ibi bīduum'', “we spent two days there”.^(TLL) Church Latin glosses it “space of two days”.^(Stelten 1995)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 190–159 BC – Terence of two days' respite.^(TLL)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero.^(TLL)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 50 BC – Caesar of two days remaining.^(TLL)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A period of two days.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)^(Stelten 1995)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[triduum]]

+ * [[diēs]]

+ * [[biennium]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}