plaustrum Latin · revision 31848

+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|attested=c. 250–184 BC, Plautus}}

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''plaustrum''' ''n'' (genitive plaustrī); second declension^(Wiktionary)

+ Cato and Varro write ''plōstrum''.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+ A feminine plural ''plaustra'', ''-ae'' is also found.^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The origin is uncertain.^(TLL) The OLD derives it from ⟨*plaud-⟩, the root of [[plaudō|t=to clap, beat]], with the suffix ⟨-trom⟩, and Köbler takes it as “a thing that creaks”.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010) The Thesaurus, following Bruch, thinks the word did not originally have ⟨au⟩, so the form could belong with that verb, but the meanings hardly fit; it suggests a popular formation, or tentatively ⟨*pro-vek-stro-⟩ from [[provehō|t=to carry forward]].^(TLL) Wiktionary takes ⟨plōstrum⟩ as the original form and ⟨au⟩ as a hypercorrection.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Köbler's first source is Plautus.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It is a wagon or cart, and ''plaustrum percellere'' “to upset the wagon” was a proverb for ruining an undertaking.^(OLD 2012) It also names the constellation of the Great Bear, the Wain, as in Propertius' Boötes who is slow to turn his oxen and wagon, and in Germanicus.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ Church Latin glosses it “cart, wagon”.^(Stelten 1995) Paulus' abridgement of Festus says that a wagon was called ''veia'' in Oscan.^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Timeline==

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

+ * 234–149 BC – Cato writes ''plōstrum''.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 57/46–12 BC – Propertius of the constellation.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|wagon]], [[m|en|cart]];^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary) ''plaustrum percellere'', to upset the apple cart.^(OLD 2012)

+ # The constellation [[m|en|Ursa Major]], the Wain.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[plaustra]]

+ * [[plaustrālis]]

+ * [[plaustrārius]]

+ * [[plaustrilucus]]

+ * [[plostellum]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[plaudo|alt=plaudō]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}