imbecillitas Latin · revision 31640

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=2nd half of the 2nd century BC, Afranius|origins=la imbēcillus}}

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''imbēcillitās''' ''f'' (genitive imbēcillitātis); third declension^(Wiktionary)

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

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|la|imbēcillus|-tās|t1=weak, feeble]].^(OLD 2012)^(TLL) De Vaan finds no etymology for ⟨imbēcillus⟩: the old explanation “without a walking stick”, after a scholion on Juvenal, makes little sense, and Ernout and Meillet's ⟨*imbeccillus⟩ is far-fetched.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) Etymonline reports the traditional derivation from [[m|la|in-|t=not]] and [[baculum|t=stick]].^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Köbler's first source is the comic poet Afranius;^(Köbler 2010) the OLD's earliest example is the ''Rhetorica ad Herennium''.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It is bodily weakness, especially from illness: Cicero writes that his daughter's illness and weakness are killing him.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) It is used of weak faculties such as sight, and of fragile things, as Cicero's undecked Rhodian ships.^(OLD 2012) It is also weakness of mind or character, and powerlessness, the inability to defend oneself, as Cicero's weakness of the country towns; it was regarded as typical of women and of the young.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ English [[m|en|imbecility]] (early 15th century) at first meant physical weakness.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 2nd half of the 2nd century BC – Afranius.^(Köbler 2010)

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

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero of illness, weak ships and weak towns.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * early 15th century – English [[m|en|imbecility]].^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # Physical [[m|en|weakness]], [[m|en|feebleness]]; weakness from illness; weakness of the senses.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Weakness of materials, fragility.^(OLD 2012)

+ # Moral or intellectual weakness.^(OLD 2012)

+ # [[m|en|powerlessness|alt=Powerlessness]], helplessness.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[imbēcillus]]

+ * [[en|imbecility]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Döderlein contrasts ⟨validus⟩, strong and able to act, with ''imbēcillus'', its opposite.^(Döderlein 1874)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}