festus Latin · revision 6172

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=Plautus|origins=ine-pro *dʰeh₁-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

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

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

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''fēstus''' (feminine fēsta, neuter fēstum); first/second-declension adjective^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|itc-pro|*fēsto-|t=holiday]], [[inh|ine-pro|*dʰeh₁-s-to-|t=divine, holy]], one of several derivatives of an s-stem *dʰeh₁-s- “religious gift, rite”, like [[fēriae]] “holidays”, from the root [[ine-pro|*dʰeh₁-|t=to put]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) The OLD and TLL compare ''fēriae'' and [[fānum]] “shrine”.^(OLD 2012)^(TLL) The suffixes *-o-, *-yo- and *-to- came to mean “divine” early.^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ De Vaan dates it from Plautus.^(de Vaan 2008) Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It meant belonging to a holiday, as ''diēs fēstus'' “a feast day” kept for a god or a happy event, in contrast to [[prōfēstus]] “working”.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) Of people it meant keeping holiday, as Horace's village at rest with its ox, and of things festal, suitable for festivals, as Virgil's festive garlands on the shrines and Horace's festive banquet.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ In Medieval Latin it meant merry, and ''diēs fēstus'' a church feast.^(DMLBS) It survives in Italian ''festa'' and French ''fête'', and through Old French ''feste'' it is the source of [[en|feast]]; [[en|festival]] comes from Medieval Latin ''fēstīvālis''.^(Wiktionary)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero uses ''diēs fēstus''.^(Gaffiot 2016)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 65–8 BC – Horace uses it of a festive village.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 1580s – English ''festival'' is recorded as a noun.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # ''diēs fēstus'': a [[m|en|holiday]], feast day.^(OLD 2012)

+ # Keeping holiday, celebrating.^(OLD 2012)

+ # Festal, used at festivals.^(OLD 2012)

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

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[bifestus]]

+ * [[fēstum]]

+ * [[profēstus]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[fēriae]]

+ * [[fānum]]

+ * [[en|feast]]

+ * [[en|festival]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Fēstus'' was also a Roman cognomen, as of Sextus Pompeius Festus, the grammarian whose ''De verborum significatu'' preserves many old words.^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}