pulchritudo Latin · revision 31260

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * Classical: [pʊɫ.kʰrɪˈtuː.doː]^(Wiktionary)

+ * Ecclesiastical: [pul.kriˈtuː.do]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''pulchritūdō''' ''f'' (genitive pulchritūdinis); third declension^(Wiktionary)

+ It is also spelled ''pulcritūdō''.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(TLL)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is formed from [[m|la|pulcher|t=beautiful]] with the suffix [[m|la|-tūdō]].^(OLD 2012)^(TLL)^(Wiktionary) De Vaan finds no etymology for ⟨pulcher⟩: it was perhaps earlier ⟨polcher⟩, the ⟨ch⟩ is a Hellenizing spelling of a stem ⟨*polkro-⟩ or ⟨*pelkro-⟩, and he doubts the old link with [[ine-pro|*perḱ-|t=variegated]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Köbler gives Plautus as its first author,^(Köbler 2010) and the old manuscripts of Plautus and Terence spell it ''pulchr-''.^(TLL)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It is the quality of being pleasing to look at, beauty or handsomeness, in men, women and animals;^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) Cicero defines bodily beauty as a fitting shape of the limbs with a certain sweetness of colour.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) It is said of things, as Cicero's new paintings brighter in beauty of colour than the old, in the plural of beautiful things, of style, as the ''Rhetorica ad Herennium'', and of abstract things, as Cicero's ''honestum'' praiseworthy for its own beauty.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ Church Latin glosses it “beauty, majesty, splendour”.^(Stelten 1995) English [[m|en|pulchritude]] was borrowed about 1400.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus.^(Köbler 2010)^(TLL)

+ * 86/82 BC – The ''Rhetorica ad Herennium'' of style.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero defines bodily beauty.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 1400 – English ''pulchritude''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # [[m|en|beauty|alt=Beauty]], handsomeness, attractiveness.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)^(Stelten 1995)

+ # Beauty (of things, style, abstract qualities); excellence;^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary) ''(plural)'' beautiful things.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[pulcher]]

+ * [[pulchrē]]

+ * [[pulchrēscō]]

+ * [[fōrma]]

+ * [[venustās]]

+ * [[en|pulchritude]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Döderlein distinguishes ''fōrmōsus'', beauty that delights by fine form, ''pulcher'', beauty that is imposing and satisfies taste by its perfection, and ''venustus'', beauty that charms.^(Döderlein 1874)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}