serius Latin · revision 5264

+ {{infobox|confidence=disputed|attested=Naevius}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [ˈseː.ri.ʊs]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈsɛː.ri.us]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''sērius''' (feminine sēria, neuter sērium, comparative sērior, superlative sērissimus); first/second-declension adjective^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The origin is disputed.^(Wiktionary) It is usually traced to [[ine-pro|*swer-|t=heavy, difficult]], comparing [[ang|swǣr|t=heavy, grievous]] and [[goh|swāri|t=heavy]], an etymology followed by Walde, Pokorny and Schrijver.^(Wiktionary)^(OLD 2012)^(de Vaan 2008) De Vaan objects that *swē- would have given ⟨suē-⟩ in Latin, and proposes instead [[itc-pro|*sēr-jo-]], from [[ine-pro|*seh₁-ro-|t=slow, heavy]], as in [[sērus]] “late”.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) Lewis and Short connected it with [[sevērus]] “stern”.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ De Vaan and Köbler give Naevius first.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Köbler 2010) Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC.^(Köbler 2010) Plautus has a character put off all serious matters to another day.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It meant weighty, important or serious, opposed to playful or jocular, and of people sober in character or appearance.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) Lewis and Short note that in Classical Latin it is used only of things, while [[sevērus]] is used of persons too.^(Lewis & Short 1879) The neuter plural ''sēria'' meant serious matters.^(DMLBS)

+

+ In medieval British Latin it meant earnest and sober, and genuine or sincere.^(DMLBS) It survives in [[it|serio]] and [[es|serio]], and through Late Latin ''sēriōsus'' it gave [[en|serious]] in the early 15th century.^(Wiktionary)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses the word.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus speaks of serious matters.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero contrasts serious with jocular things.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * early 15th century – English ''serious'' is recorded.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Weighty, important, [[m|en|serious]].^(OLD 2012)

+ # Grave, [[m|en|earnest]], not jocular.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Sober (in character or appearance).^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[sēria]]

+ * [[serietas]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[sevērus]]

+ * [[en|serious]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ A different word, the comparative adverb [[sērō|alt=sērius]] “later, too late”, has the same form.^(Wiktionary)^(Gaffiot 2016)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}