mactus Latin · revision 6038

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

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

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

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''mactus''' (feminine macta, neuter mactum); first/second-declension adjective^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ Its origin is uncertain.^(Wiktionary) The OLD takes it as the participle of a verb *magere “to increase”, from the root of [[magnus]] “great”, as the TLL also reports.^(OLD 2012)^(TLL) De Vaan prefers Driessen's link with Proto-Celtic *make/o- “to raise, nourish”, from [[ine-pro|*mh₂ḱ-|t=to make long]], so “made long, made bigger”, the root of [[macer]] “thin”, since *mag-tos would have given *māctus.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) Lewis and Short compared [[grc|μάκαρ|tr=mákar|t=blessed]].^(Lewis & Short 1879) Risch explains the formula [[m|la|macte estō]] as a blend, and [[mactō]] as “to pronounce that formula”.^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ De Vaan dates it from Cato, whose prayer says “be honoured by the offering of this pig”.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Gaffiot 2016) Köbler dates Cato 234–149 BC.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the language of religion it meant honoured, glorified, magnified, of the gods, almost only in the vocative ''macte'', as in Cato's ''macte hōc porcō piāculō immolandō estō''.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Gaffiot 2016) The phrase ''macte virtūte estō'', “be honoured for your valour”, became a formula of praise, well done.^(Gaffiot 2016)^(de Vaan 2008) A second ''mactus'', perhaps a back-formation from ''mactāre'', meant struck or afflicted, in Lucretius.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 234–149 BC – Cato's prayer uses ''macte''.^(Gaffiot 2016)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses ''mactus'' “struck”.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|Honoured]], glorified, magnified (mostly in the vocative ''macte'').^(OLD 2012)

+ # ''macte virtūte'', well done, bravo.^(Gaffiot 2016)

+ # Struck, afflicted.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[macte]]

+ * [[mactō]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[macer]]

+ * [[magnus]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}