mundus Latin · revision 3494

+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|attested=Ennius}}

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''mundus''' ''m'' (genitive mundī); second declension^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The origin is unknown.^(de Vaan 2008) A connection with [[ett|𐌌𐌖𐌍𐌈|tr=munθ]] has been proposed but cannot be established.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ The sense “the universe, the ordered world” is a semantic loan from [[grc|κόσμος|tr=kósmos|t=order, ornament, world]].^(Wiktionary) De Vaan suggests that the noun meaning “a woman's toilet articles” is the same word, since κόσμος too meant both “ornament” and “world”.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Gaffiot 2016)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Köbler dates both the noun and the adjective from Ennius.^(Köbler 2010) De Vaan finds the noun from Plautus onwards.^(de Vaan 2008) Accius writes of “the bright stars of the sky”.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ As a noun it first meant the heavens, the sky or firmament, as in Accius and Lucretius, and then the world and the earth, as in Cicero's “citizen of the whole world” and Virgil's “a golden race will rise in the whole world”.^(OLD 2012) It also meant a woman's toilet articles and finery, ''mundus muliebris'', and in general tools or equipment.^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016)

+

+ A separate ''mundus'' was a sacred pit at Rome thought to communicate with the underworld.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010) Later it also meant mankind and the earthly world.^(Wiktionary)^(Köbler 2010) It survives as Italian ''mondo'', French ''monde'' and Spanish and Portuguese ''mundo'', and its derivative ''mundanus'' gave English ''mundane''.^(Wiktionary)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 234–149 BC – Cato mentions the sacred pit ''mundus''.^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it.^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 170–c. 90 BC – Accius uses it of the sky.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of the whole world.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * mid-15th century – English ''mundane'' comes from its derivative ''mundanus''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The heavens, sky, [[m|en|firmament]].^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+ # The world, the earth; the [[m|en|universe]].^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Mankind; the earthly world.^(Wiktionary)^(Köbler 2010)

+ # A woman's toilet articles, finery.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Implements, equipment.^(Gaffiot 2016)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A sacred underground pit (''mundus Cereris'').^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[intermundia]]

+ * [[mundānus]]

+ * [[mundiālis]]

+ * [[mundicors]]

+ * [[mundiger]]

+ * [[mundipotens]]

+ * [[munditenens]]

+ * [[mundivagus]]

+ * [[immundus]]

+ * [[mundālis]]

+ * [[mundifico]]

+ * [[munditiēs]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[en|mundane]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The adjective ''mundus'', “clean, neat, elegant”, may come from [[ine-pro|*meud-|t=to rejoice]], though the sense does not fit well.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}