pons Latin · revision 4837

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=Ennius|origins=ine-pro *pónteh₁s}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [ˈpõːs]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈpɔns]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''pōns''' ''m'' (genitive pontis); third declension^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|itc-pro|*pont-]], [[inh|ine-pro|*pónt-h₁-s|t=road]], from [[ine-pro|*pent-|t=path]]; the sense moved from “road” to “bridge”.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) Cognate with [[sa|पन्था|tr=pánthā-|t=road, path]], [[grc|πάτος|tr=pátos|t=path]] and [[grc|πόντος|tr=póntos|t=sea]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Ennius says that Xerxes bridged the Hellespont.^(OLD 2012)^(de Vaan 2008) Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It was a bridge, as Caesar's bridge over the Arar and the ''pōns sublicius'', the pile bridge at Rome, a gangway between buildings or walls, and a platform or deck, as the floors of Virgil's towers.^(OLD 2012)^(Georges 1913)^(Gaffiot 2016) It was also the deck of a ship.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ In medieval Latin it was also the public duty of building and repairing bridges.^(Niermeyer 1976)^(DMLBS) Proto-Romance ''*/ˈpɔnt-e/'' “bridge” is continued in all Romance languages.^(DÉRom) It survives as [[it|ponte]], [[fr|pont]], [[es|puente]] and [[ro|punte]].^(Wiktionary) Its derivative [[pontifex]] gave English ''pontiff''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of Xerxes' bridge.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 50 BC – Caesar builds a bridge over the Arar.^(Gaffiot 2016)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 1600 – English ''pontiff'' is recorded, from ''pontifex''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|bridge]].^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+ # A gangway.^(OLD 2012)^(Niermeyer 1976)

+ # A platform, floor; a [[m|en|deck]].^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(Medieval Latin)'' Bridge duty.^(Niermeyer 1976)^(DMLBS)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[dēpontō]]

+ * [[pontārius]]

+ * [[ponticulus]]

+ * [[pontifex]]

+ * [[pontilis]]

+ * [[pontō]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[pontus]]

+ * [[en|pontiff]]

+ * [[en|pons]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}