ingenium Latin · revision 6851

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=Naevius|origins=ine-pro *ǵenh₁-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [ɪŋˈɡɛ.ni.ũː]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [in̠ʲˈd͡ʒɛː.ni.um]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''ingenium''' ''n'' (genitive ingeniī or ingenī); second declension^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is from [[m|la|in-|t=in]], the root of [[gignō]] “to beget”, and the suffix [[m|la|-ium]], so “what is inborn”.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)^(Lewis & Short 1879) ''Gignō'' goes back to [[ine-pro|*ǵenh₁-|t=to beget]].^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The OLD's first citation is Naevius, who speaks of trees growing by their own nature.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010) Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It meant a person's natural disposition, temperament, as Plautus' charming woman of modest nature, the inherent quality of things, as Virgil's ''arvōrum ingenia'' “the nature of soils”, and natural inclination.^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016) It came to mean mental powers, natural ability, talent, intellect, literary or poetic talent, as in Terence, and cleverness, ingenuity, as Cicero's jurists whose ingenuity found old men for fictitious sales.^(OLD 2012) Lewis and Short note that the sense “nature” is mostly poetic and post-Augustan, not in Cicero or Caesar.^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+

+ In Medieval Latin it meant a means or device, a legal title, a pretext, and a trick or machine.^(Niermeyer 1976) It survives in Italian ''ingegno''.^(Wiktionary) Through Old French ''engin'' it is the source of [[en|engine]], first “mechanical device, skill, trickery” about 1300, and its derivative ''ingeniōsus'' gave [[en|ingenious]].^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it of the nature of trees.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of a woman's character.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of poetic talent.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 1300 – English ''engine'' is recorded.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # Natural disposition, [[m|en|temperament]].^(OLD 2012)

+ # Inherent quality, nature (of things).^(OLD 2012)

+ # Natural inclination.^(OLD 2012)

+ # Mental powers, [[m|en|talent]], intellect.^(OLD 2012)

+ # Literary or poetic talent.^(OLD 2012)

+ # Cleverness, [[m|en|ingenuity]].^(OLD 2012)

+ # ''(Medieval Latin)'' A device, trick; a war machine.^(Niermeyer 1976)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[ingeniolum]]

+ * [[ingeniōsus]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[gignō]]

+ * [[ingenuus]]

+ * [[en|engine]]

+ * [[en|ingenious]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}