prorsus Latin · revision 31246

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=c. 250–184 BC, Plautus|origins=ine-pro *wert-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * Classical: [ˈproːr.sʊs]^(Wiktionary)

+ * Ecclesiastical: [ˈprɔr.sus]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

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

+ Manuscripts of Plautus read ''prōsus'' throughout, and the spelling also appears in Varro, Cicero and Seneca.^(OLD 2012)

+ An uncontracted ''prōversus'' is also recorded.^(TLL)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a contraction of ⟨*prōvorsus⟩, from [[m|la|prō|t=forward]] and [[m|la|vorsus]], the old form of [[m|la|versus|t=turned]], the participle of [[m|la|vertō|t=to turn]].^(OLD 2012)^(TLL)^(Wiktionary) De Vaan derives the verb from [[itc-pro|*wert-e/o-]] and [[ine-pro|*wert-e/o-|t=to turn]], cognate with [[xum|kuvertu|t=let him turn back]].^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Köbler gives Plautus as its first author,^(Köbler 2010) who has “you are an absolutely unique poet for this” in the ''Asinaria'';^(OLD 2012) Ennius has a wave that rolls forward and back.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In early Latin it is forwards, straight ahead, often with ''rūrsus'', as in Ennius, and straight to a place without stopping, as Terence's “see that he doesn't rush straight here”.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) Its usual sense is thoroughly, absolutely, utterly, before or after the word it strengthens, often with a negative, as Plautus' “there is no way the girl will not be given a dowry”, and with demonstratives, as Cicero's “I feel exactly as you write”.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) After ''et'' it marks the stronger of two terms, and it links a clause to what precedes, in fact, in short, as Sallust's summing up of Catiline's face: “in short, madness was in his face and look”.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ The adjective is straight or direct, mostly post-Augustan, and ''prōrsa ōrātiō'' is straightforward speech, prose, whence the noun [[prōsa]].^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary) Church Latin glosses it “wholly, absolutely, straight on, precisely, certainly”.^(Stelten 1995)

+

+ ==Timeline==

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

+ * 204–169 BC – Ennius of a wave rolling forward.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 190–159 BC – Terence of going straight to a place.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 86–34 BC – Sallust summing up Catiline's looks.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * mid 4th century AD – Avienus has the adjective.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # Forwards, straight ahead; straight on, without stopping.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)^(Stelten 1995)

+ # Thoroughly, [[m|en|absolutely]], utterly; precisely;^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)^(Stelten 1995) ''(with a negative)'' at all.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)^(Stelten 1995)

+ # In fact, in short, all in all;^(OLD 2012) ''ita prōrsus ut'', so much that.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Straight, direct;^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary) ''(of style)'' straightforward, in [[m|en|prose]].^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[prōsa]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[vertō]]

+ * [[rūrsus]]

+ * [[sūrsum]]

+ * [[plānē]]

+ * [[omnīnō]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Döderlein contrasts ''plānē'', completely, as opposed to ''paene'' or ''vix'', with ''omnīnō'', altogether and in general.^(Döderlein 1874)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}