supervacaneus Latin · revision 36186

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=234–149 BC, Cato|origins=la super, la vacō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * Classical: [sʊ.pɛr.waˈkaː.ne.ʊs]^(Wiktionary)

+ * Ecclesiastical: [su.per.vaˈkaː.ne.us]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''supervacāneus''' (feminine supervacānea, neuter supervacāneum); first/second-declension adjective^(Wiktionary)

+ It is also spelled ⟨supervacuāneus⟩, in Cicero's ''De natura deorum'' and in Sallust.^(OLD 2012)^(Conte 2010)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|la|super-|vacō|-āneus|t1=over, above|t2=to be empty]].^(OLD 2012) Lewis and Short and Georges take the second part from [[m|la|vacuus|t=empty]].^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Georges 1913) De Vaan lists it among the derivatives of [[m|la|vacō]], which goes back to [[itc-pro|*wako-|t=empty]] and [[ine-pro|*h₁uh₂-ko-]].^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Köbler and de Vaan date it from Cato,^(Köbler 2010)^(de Vaan 2008) whose farm manual lists spare presses and windlasses for the press room, extra to those in use.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Its first sense is additional or spare.^(OLD 2012)^(Georges 1913) Cicero's ''supervacanea opera'' is work done in spare hours, as in the ''De senectute''.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Conte 2010) More often it means superfluous or redundant:^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016) Cicero uses it of whatever in a tree is superfluous and has no use, Sallust writes that it is needless to discuss something, and Livy uses it of a useless speech and of a consul held to be superfluous.^(OLD 2012)^(Conte 2010)^(Georges 1913) Of letters and other acts it means needless, serving no purpose, as when Cicero fears that his letters will be thought unnecessary.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+

+ Ecclesiastical Latin used it for superfluous,^(Stelten 1995) and British medieval writers for superfluous, redundant and needless.^(DMLBS)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of spare equipment for a press room.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of superfluous things and needless letters.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 86–34 BC – Sallust uses the form ''supervacuāneus''.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of a useless speech.^(Georges 1913)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Additional to what is in use, extra, [[m|en|spare]].^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+ # More than is required, [[m|en|superfluous]], [[m|en|redundant]].^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016)

+ # (of actions) [[m|en|unnecessary|alt=Unnecessary]], serving no purpose.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[supervacuus]]

+ * [[vacuus]]

+ * [[vacō]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}