innocens Latin · revision 6943
16 Oct 2026, 12:47 by bogdan “New Latin entry (sources: de Vaan, OLD, Lewis & Short, TLL...)” current version
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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=Naevius|origins=la noceō}}
+
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA (Classical): [ˈɪn.nɔ.kẽːs]^(Wiktionary)
+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈin.no.t͡ʃens]^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Forms==
+ '''innocēns''' (genitive innocentis, comparative innocentior, superlative innocentissimus); third-declension one-termination adjective^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is from the negative prefix [[in-]] and [[nocēns]] “harmful, guilty”, the participle of [[noceō]] “to harm”.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)^(TLL) Plautus has the genitive plural ⟨innocentum⟩, Cicero ⟨innocentium⟩.^(Lewis & Short 1879)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ The OLD's earliest citation is from Naevius, of someone not guilty.^(OLD 2012) Köbler also starts with Naevius, whom he dates c. 235–200 BC.^(Köbler 2010)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ It meant not guilty, blameless, innocent, and in Tacitus innocent of a crime, and also doing no evil, pure, upright, as in Cicero.^(OLD 2012) Lewis and Short and Gaffiot give the literal sense harmless, inoffensive, of things such as a letter, as in Cicero and Horace, and Pliny uses it of what does no harm.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Gaffiot 2016)^(OLD 2012)
+
+ In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant innocent, pure, guiltless, harmless.^(Stelten 1995) Medieval Latin also used it for harmless, ingenuous, naive.^(Niermeyer 1976) [[en|innocent]] came in the mid-14th century through Old French.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it of the guiltless.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)
+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of the upright and of a harmless letter.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)
+ * 23/24–79 AD – Pliny uses it of what is harmless.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)
+ * mid-14th century – English ''innocent'' is recorded.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Meanings==
+ ===Adjective===
+ # Not guilty, blameless, [[m|en|innocent]].^(OLD 2012)
+ # Doing no evil, upright, virtuous.^(OLD 2012)
+ # Of things, [[m|en|harmless]], innocuous.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)
+ # ''(Medieval Latin)'' Ingenuous, naive.^(Niermeyer 1976)
+
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[innocentia]]
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[noceō]]
+ * [[īnsōns]]
+ * [[en|innocent]]
+
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}