incassum Latin · revision 33269

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

+

+ ==Forms==

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

+ It is often written as two words, ''in cassum'';^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) Tertullian has plain ''cassum''.^(Georges 1913)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|la|in|cassus|t1=into|t2=empty]], from the phrase ⟨in cassum⟩, “into the empty”.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)^(Köbler 2010) Wiktionary connects [[m|la|cassus]] with [[m|la|careō|t=to lack]] and [[m|la|castus|t=pure]], perhaps from [[ine-pro|*ḱes-|t=to cut]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Plautus has ''ex multis omnia in cassum cadunt'', “out of many, all fall in vain”.^(Lewis & Short 1879) Köbler dates it from Sallust.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It means without effect, to no purpose, in vain.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) Lucretius joins it with “at random” and “uselessly”, and Virgil has raging in vain, long tears shed in vain, and labours poured out in vain.^(Lewis & Short 1879) In prose Sallust, Livy, Tacitus, Seneca and Justin use it: Livy has weapons thrown in vain and prayers sent in vain.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Georges 1913) From it late writers formed an adjective ''incassus'', vain, empty.^(TLL) Church Latin has it as in vain, uselessly.^(Stelten 1995)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus, ''in cassum cadunt''.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 96–55 BC – Lucretius, “aimlessly and in vain”.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 70–19 BC – Virgil, of tears shed in vain.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 86–34 BC – Sallust, in prose.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # In [[m|en|vain]], to no purpose, without effect.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[cassus]]

+ * [[frūstrā]]

+ * [[nēquīquam]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}