catus Latin · revision 33672

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=204–169 BC, Ennius|origins=ine-pro *ḱh₃-to-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * Classical: [ˈka.tʊs]^(Wiktionary)

+ * Ecclesiastical: [ˈkaː.tus]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''catus''' (feminine cata, neuter catum); first/second-declension adjective^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|itc-pro|*kato-]], [[inh|ine-pro|*ḱh₃-to-|t=sharpened]], from a root meaning “to sharpen”; in Italic the sense moved from “sharp” to “clever”.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) Cognate with [[sga|cath|t=wise, able]] and [[sa|शित|tr=śitá-|t=sharpened]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(OLD 2012) Varro calls it a Sabine word for [[m|la|acūtus|t=sharp]], which de Vaan thinks possible.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(TLL)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ De Vaan and Köbler date it from Plautus,^(de Vaan 2008)^(Köbler 2010) and Ennius has it twice: ''egregie cordatus homo, catus Aelius Sextus'', “an exceptionally sensible man, shrewd Aelius Sextus”, and ''cata signa'', signals with a shrill sound.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Its first sense, sharp to the ear, shrill, is found only in Ennius.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(OLD 2012) Of the mind it means clear-sighted, clever, shrewd,^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) and of advice or sayings well judged.^(OLD 2012) Lewis & Short think it never became at home in prose: Cicero adds “so to speak” when he uses it.^(Lewis & Short 1879) Horace has it with an infinitive, skilled at throwing.^(Lewis & Short 1879) In a bad sense it is sly or crafty: in Plautus a woman is ''cata et callida'', sly and cunning.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus, of a sly woman and of clever advice.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(de Vaan 2008)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 204–169 BC – Ennius, of a shrewd man and of shrill signals.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero, with “so to speak”.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 65–8 BC – Horace, “skilled at throwing”.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|clever|alt=Clever]], [[m|en|shrewd]], wise, clear-sighted;^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary) of advice, well judged.^(OLD 2012)

+ # Sly, [[m|en|crafty]], cunning.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(archaic)'' Shrill, clear-sounding.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[cōs]]

+ * [[acūtus]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ A late noun ''catus'' “male cat”, in Palladius, is a form of [[cattus]], perhaps influenced by this adjective.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary) ''Catus'' was also a Roman cognomen,^(OLD 2012) and de Vaan derives the name ''Catō'' from the adjective.^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}