tricae Latin · revision 6062
16 Oct 2026, 04:50 by bogdan “New Latin entry (sources: de Vaan, OLD, Lewis & Short, TLL...)”
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+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|attested=Plautus}}
+
+ ==Forms==
+ '''trīcae''' ''f pl'' (genitive trīcārum); first declension^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ Its origin is uncertain.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) De Vaan mentions a possible comparison with [[txb|traiksa|t=missed]], and, if “trifles” is the oldest sense, an original meaning “crumbs”, like [[nūgae]] from “nuts”, from a k-extension *trī-k- of the root of [[terō]] “to rub”, as in [[trīticum]] “wheat”.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) The OLD compares [[torqueō]] “to twist”.^(OLD 2012) Pliny the Elder connects it with Trica, a small town in Apulia, as though it meant something worthless.^(Lewis & Short 1879)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ De Vaan dates it from Plautus, whose character says he has been thrown into a tangle of trouble.^(de Vaan 2008)^(OLD 2012) Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^(Köbler 2010)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ It meant a tangle of difficulties, complications, perplexities, as in Cicero's letters, and trifles, nonsense, as Plautus' ''quās tū mihi trīcās nārrās?'' “what nonsense are you telling me?”.^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016) Martial uses it of trifles.^(Gaffiot 2016) From it came ''trīcō'' “a trickster” and the verbs [[extrīcō]] “to set free” and [[intrīcō]] “to entangle”.^(de Vaan 2008)
+
+ [[en|intricate]] and [[en|extricate]] come from these verbs.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of complications and nonsense.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)
+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of difficulties.^(Gaffiot 2016)^(Köbler 2010)
+ * 40–102/103 AD – Martial uses it of trifles.^(Gaffiot 2016)^(Köbler 2010)
+ * early 15th century – English ''intricate'' is recorded.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Meanings==
+ ===Noun===
+ # ''(plural)'' A tangle of difficulties, [[m|en|complications]].^(OLD 2012)
+ # ''(plural)'' [[m|en|Trifles]], [[m|en|nonsense]].^(OLD 2012)
+
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[trīcō]]
+ * [[trīcōsus]]
+ * [[extrīcō]]
+ * [[intrīcō]]
+ * [[prōtrīcō]]
+ * [[trīcor]]
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[en|intricate]]
+ * [[en|extricate]]
+
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}