notorious English · revision 39393

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1495|origins=la nōscō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * UK: /nə(ʊ)ˈtɔː.ɹɪ.əs/^(Wiktionary)

+ * US: /nəˈtɔ.ɹi.əs/, /noʊˈtɔ.ɹi.əs/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la-med|nōtōrius|t=well known, commonly known]],^(AHD 2024)^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 2026) with the English suffix [[-ous]],^(OED 2026)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[la|nōtus|t=known]], the past participle of [[m|la|nōscō|t=to get to know]],^(AHD 2024)^(Etymonline)^(Klein 1966) from [[ine-pro|*ǵneh₃-|t=to know]].^(Etymonline)^(AHD 2024) Merriam-Webster explains the Medieval Latin adjective as an irregular formation from Late Latin [[m|la-lat|nōtōrium|t=information, indictment]].^(MWU 2024) In post-classical Latin the adjective already meant "famous" and also "infamous" in British sources of the 12th and 13th centuries.^(OED 2026) Middle English had earlier taken [[m|fro|notoire|t=well known]] from French,^(Etymonline)^(Onions 1966) and Scots had [[m|sco|notour]] from the 15th century.^(Onions 1966)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Of a fact: well known, generally known, a matter of common knowledge, about 1495.^(OED 2026)^(HTOED) The OED's first date agrees with the Oxford Dictionary of English (late 15th century)^(ODE 2010) and Merriam-Webster (15th century),^(MWU 2024) while Barnhart dates the word to 1548–49, in the Book of Common Prayer,^(Barnhart 1988) and Etymonline to the 1540s.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word first meant simply "well known",^(Ayto 2005)^(Cresswell 2021) but it was very soon used with nouns of blame, as in ''a notorious liar''.^(Ayto 2005) The Book of Common Prayer of 1549 already speaks of "notorious synners",^(Cresswell 2021)^(OED 2026) and by the early 17th century the adjective had taken on a negative sense of its own: "known for something bad".^(Ayto 2005)^(Etymonline) The OED dates this sense to 1579 for actions and 1591 for people.^(OED 2026) The neutral sense lived on beside it: a writer of 1588 could call preachers "verie notorious for their learning".^(Cresswell 2021) Johnson (1755) defined the word as "publickly known" and complained that people ignorant of its true meaning called an atrocious crime ''notorious'' whether it was public or secret.^(Johnson 1755) The neutral sense is now rare,^(Collins 2023) though it survives in legal phrasing such as "open and notorious" possession.^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1495 – of a fact, well known.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1549 – of a sinner or criminal, known as such (Book of Common Prayer).^(OED 2026)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1555 – of a person or place, widely known, famous.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1579 – of an action, known for something bad.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1591 – of a person, known for something bad.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1592 – ''notoriety''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1755 – Johnson defines it as "publickly known".^(Johnson 1755)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Widely known, especially for something bad, [[infamous]]: ''a notorious smuggler'', ''a pass notorious for avalanches''.^(AHD 2024)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(rare)'' Generally known or acknowledged.^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[notoriously]]

+ * [[notoriousness]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[notoriety]]

+ * [[notice]]

+ * [[notion]]

+ * [[notify]]

+ * [[know]]

+ * [[noble]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}