difficilis Latin · revision 6543

16 Oct 2026, 10:49 by bogdan “New Latin entry (sources: de Vaan, OLD, Lewis & Short, TLL...)” current version
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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=Plautus|origins=la facilis}}
+ 
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA (Classical): [dɪfˈfɪ.kɪ.lɪs]^(Wiktionary)
+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [difˈfiː.t͡ʃi.lis]^(Wiktionary)
+ 
+ ==Forms==
+ '''difficilis''' (neuter difficile, comparative difficilior, superlative difficillimus, adverb difficulter or difficile or difficiliter); third-declension two-termination adjective^(Wiktionary)
+ 
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is from [[dis-|t=not]] and [[facilis]] “easy”.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)^(Lewis & Short 1879) Varro has an old neuter form ⟨difficul⟩, like [[facul]].^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)
+ 
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ The OLD's first citations are from Plautus, of things hard to do.^(OLD 2012) Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^(Köbler 2010)
+ 
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ It meant hard to deal with or carry out, troublesome, difficult, as Cicero's things difficult to express, and ''ex difficilī'' “with difficulty”.^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016) Of persons it meant intractable, obstinate, as in Caecilius, and of animals hard to manage.^(OLD 2012) Döderlein says [[arduus]] is steep, hard to climb, and a stronger word, while ''difficilis'' is hard to do.^(Döderlein 1874)
+ 
+ In Medieval Latin it meant difficult, and ''ex difficilī'' “with difficulty”.^(DMLBS) It survives in French and Italian ''difficile'' and Spanish ''difícil''.^(Wiktionary) [[en|difficulty]] comes from its noun [[difficultās]] in the late 14th century.^(Etymonline)
+ 
+ ==Timeline==
+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of difficult things.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)
+ * 230/220–168 BC – Caecilius uses it of an intractable person.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)
+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of things hard to express.^(Gaffiot 2016)^(Köbler 2010)
+ * late 14th century – English ''difficulty'' is recorded.^(Etymonline)
+ 
+ ==Meanings==
+ ===Adjective===
+ # [[m|en|Difficult]], hard, troublesome.^(OLD 2012)
+ # ''(of persons)'' Intractable, obstinate.^(OLD 2012)
+ # ''(of animals)'' Hard to manage.^(OLD 2012)
+ 
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[difficultās]]
+ * [[indifficulter]]
+ * [[perdifficilis]]
+ * [[praedifficilis]]
+ * [[subdifficilis]]
+ * [[difficilē]]
+ * [[difficiliter]]
+ * [[difficulter]]
+ 
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[facilis]]
+ * [[arduus]]
+ * [[en|difficulty]]
+ 
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}