lentus Latin · revision 5450

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=inherited|attested=Plautus|origins=ine-pro *lentos}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [ˈɫɛn.tʊs]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈlɛn.tus]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''lentus''' (feminine lenta, neuter lentum, comparative lentior, superlative lentissimus, adverb lentē); first/second-declension adjective^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|itc-pro|*lento-|t=soft]], [[inh|ine-pro|*lent-o-|t=soft, pliant]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) Cognate with [[lt|lentà|t=board]] and dialectal [[ru|лут|tr=lut|t=bast]], and probably with words for the lime tree.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) [[en|lithe]] goes back to the same root.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ De Vaan and Köbler date it from Plautus.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Köbler 2010) Plautus speaks of tough elm rods.^(OLD 2012) Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It meant pliant and supple, of willows, vines and limbs, then tough, not brittle, and sticky or viscous, as of dough in Cato.^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016) From the idea of what yields slowly it came to mean slow in movement, long drawn out, persistent, slow to act, and of people slow to feel, cold and unmoved.^(OLD 2012) Cicero says he is thought too patient and ''lentus''.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ In medieval Latin it kept the sense flexible.^(DMLBS) It survives in [[it|lento]], [[fr|lent]] and [[es|lento]], and Italian ''lento'' came into English as a musical direction in 1724.^(Wiktionary)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus speaks of tough elm rods.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 234–149 BC – Cato tells how to knead dough until it is sticky.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 1724 – English ''lento'' is recorded as a musical direction.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|Flexible]], [[m|en|pliant]].^(OLD 2012)

+ # Tough, not brittle.^(OLD 2012)

+ # Sticky, viscous.^(OLD 2012)

+ # [[m|en|Slow]], sluggish; long drawn out.^(OLD 2012)

+ # Persistent.^(OLD 2012)

+ # Tardy, procrastinating.^(OLD 2012)

+ # Unmoved, unresponsive, cold.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[lenteō]]

+ * [[lentipēs]]

+ * [[lentitiēs]]

+ * [[lentor]]

+ * [[lentulus]]

+ * [[lentitia]]

+ * [[lentē]]

+ * [[lentēscō]]

+ * [[lentitūdō]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[en|lithe]]

+ * [[en|lento]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Döderlein says that [[tardus]] stresses the time spent and is opposed to [[citus]], while ''lentus'' stresses the calm of the movement and is opposed to [[ācer]].^(Döderlein 1874)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}