anceps Latin · revision 6271

16 Oct 2026, 06:07 by bogdan “New Latin entry (sources: de Vaan, OLD, Lewis & Short, TLL...)” current version
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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=Plautus|origins=la ambi-, la caput}}
+ 
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA (Classical): [ˈaŋ.kɛps]^(Wiktionary)
+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈan̠ʲ.t͡ʃeps]^(Wiktionary)
+ 
+ ==Forms==
+ '''anceps''' (genitive ancipitis); third-declension one-termination adjective^(Wiktionary)
+ 
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is from [[ambi-|t=on both sides]] and [[-ceps|t=headed]], from [[caput]] “head”.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)^(Gaffiot 2016) Plautus has a nominative ⟨ancipes⟩.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)
+ 
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ The OLD's first citations are from Plautus, of a two-edged weapon and double dangers.^(OLD 2012) Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^(Köbler 2010)
+ 
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ It meant two-headed, facing two ways, as Ovid's two-faced Janus, of weapons two-edged, as in Plautus, and exposed on both sides.^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016) It meant twofold, double, having two meanings, of amphibians living two lives, of war fought on two fronts, as in Varro, and of dangers arising from two sides.^(OLD 2012) It meant wavering, undecided, of battles indecisive, as in Virgil and Livy, of outcomes doubtful, critical, and dangerous, perilous, with ''in ancipitī'' “in danger”.^(OLD 2012) It meant ambiguous, of persons unreliable or undecided, as in Sallust.^(OLD 2012) Döderlein says [[dubius]] and [[ambiguus]] concern doubt about success, ''anceps'' danger.^(Döderlein 1874)
+ 
+ In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant two-edged, double, uncertain, ambiguous, dangerous.^(Stelten 1995) In Medieval Latin it meant a two-edged weapon, a two-handed sword.^(Niermeyer 1976)^(DMLBS) English prosody uses the phrase ''syllaba anceps''.^(Wiktionary)
+ 
+ ==Timeline==
+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of a two-edged weapon.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)
+ * 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of a war on two fronts.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)
+ * 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of an undecided battle.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)
+ 
+ ==Meanings==
+ ===Adjective===
+ # Two-headed; facing two ways; two-edged.^(OLD 2012)
+ # Twofold, double.^(OLD 2012)
+ # Wavering; undecided, indecisive.^(OLD 2012)
+ # Doubtful; critical.^(OLD 2012)
+ # Dangerous, perilous.^(OLD 2012)
+ # Ambiguous; unreliable.^(OLD 2012)
+ 
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[peranceps]]
+ 
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[caput]]
+ * [[praeceps]]
+ * [[dubius]]
+ 
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}