amoenus Latin · revision 5577

+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|attested=Plautus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [aˈmoe̯.nʊs]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [aˈmɛː.nus]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''amoenus''' (feminine amoena, neuter amoenum, comparative amoenior, superlative amoenissimus, adverb amoenē or amoeniter); first/second-declension adjective^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ Its origin is unexplained.^(Wiktionary)^(TLL) The OLD and Lewis & Short compare [[amō]] “to love”.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) De Vaan notes that the diphthong /oe/ in a second syllable is rare in Latin, and that Meiser reconstructs *ama-wen-o- from a root *h₂emh₃- “to grab”, which cannot be proved.^(de Vaan 2008) A borrowing from a substrate language has also been suggested.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ De Vaan and Köbler date it from Plautus.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Köbler 2010) Ennius speaks of a river flowing gently through a lovely city.^(OLD 2012) Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC and Ennius 204–169 BC.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It meant pleasing to the senses, beautiful or charming, especially of places and buildings, as Cicero says nothing is lovelier than the island in the Fibrenus.^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016) It was also said of pleasant activities and of a delightful day, as in Plautus.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ Medieval writers used it of a monastery beautifully set between woods and sea.^(DMLBS) It was borrowed into [[it|ameno]], [[fr|amène]] and [[es|ameno]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus speaks of a delightful day.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 204–169 BC – Ennius speaks of a lovely city.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero praises the island in the Fibrenus.^(Gaffiot 2016)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Pleasant, [[m|en|charming]], lovely (of places).^(OLD 2012)

+ # Pleasant, agreeable (of activities).^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[amoenifer]]

+ * [[amoenitās]]

+ * [[inamoenus]]

+ * [[peramoenus]]

+ * [[amoenē]]

+ * [[amoeniter]]

+ * [[amoenō]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[amō]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}