pilus Latin · revision 5625

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [ˈpɪ.ɫʊs]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈpiː.lus]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''pilus''' ''m'' (genitive pilī); second declension^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ Its origin is uncertain.^(Wiktionary) Older works reconstruct [[ine-pro|*pilo-|t=hair]], comparing [[pilleus]] “felt cap” and [[grc|πῖλος|tr=pîlos|t=felt]].^(Wiktionary)^(Köbler 2010)^(OLD 2012) De Vaan notes that relating it to [[pila]] “ball” requires taking the ball as a bundle of hair.^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ De Vaan dates it from Varro, Köbler from Laevius.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Köbler 2010) Varro says the goat supplies hair for use on ships.^(Lewis & Short 1879) Köbler dates Varro 116–27 BC.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It was a single hair, of people or animals, as Cicero describes the eyelids fenced with hairs.^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016) As something of minimal size it meant “not a hair”, “not a whit”, as Cicero's ''nē pilō quidem minus'' and “not a hair from Cappadocia”.^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016)

+

+ It survives in [[it|pelo]], [[fr|poil]] and Romanian ''păr'', and French ''pelage'' “coat of an animal” gave [[en|pelage]] in 1831.^(Wiktionary)^(Etymonline) ''Dēpilātus'' “stripped of hair” gave [[en|depilate]] in the 1550s.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 2nd–1st century BC – Laevius uses it.^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 116–27 BC – Varro speaks of goat hair used on ships.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero says he will not love himself a hair less.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 1550s – English ''depilate'' is recorded.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|hair]].^(OLD 2012)

+ # (figurative) A whit, a trifle, ''nē pilum quidem'', not a whit.^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[rāripilus]]

+ * [[dēpilātus]]

+ * [[pilleus]]

+ * [[pilō]]

+ * [[pilōsus]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[en|pelage]]

+ * [[en|depilate]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Pīlus'', with a long ''ī'', is a different word, the first century of the triarii in the phrase ''prīmum pīlum dūcere'', “to be the chief centurion”.^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}