toxicum Latin · revision 7116

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=Plautus|origins=grc τόξον}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [ˈtɔk.sɪ.kũː]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈtɔk.si.kum]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''toxicum''' ''n'' (genitive toxicī); second declension^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|grc|τοξικόν|tr=toxikón|t=poison for arrows]], short for a Greek phrase meaning “drug for arrows”, from [[m|grc|τοξικός|tr=toxikós|t=of the bow]], from [[m|grc|τόξον|tr=tóxon|t=bow]].^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)^(Köbler 2010) It is also written in the Greek form ⟨toxicon⟩.^(Gaffiot 2016)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The OLD's and Gaffiot's earliest citations are from Plautus' ''Mercator'', of a poison.^(Gaffiot 2016) Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It meant a poison, first one in which arrows were dipped, as Caecilius and Afranius quoted by Festus, Ovid and Pliny, and then any poison, as in Plautus, Horace and Suetonius.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Gaffiot 2016) Döderlein explains that ''toxicum'' is poison as a term of natural history, ''venēnum'' an artificial poison, often sweet and tempting, and ''vīrus'' a noxious, distasteful juice.^(Döderlein 1874)

+

+ British Medieval Latin used it of poison, venom, also figuratively.^(DMLBS) It survives in Italian ''tossico'' and Romanian ''toapsec''.^(Wiktionary) Late Latin ''toxicus'' “poisoned” gave [[en|toxic]] in the 1660s.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of poison.^(Gaffiot 2016)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 65–8 BC – Horace uses it.^(Gaffiot 2016)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid uses it of arrow poison.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 1660s – English ''toxic'' is recorded.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|poison]] for arrows.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(OLD 2012)

+ # Any poison.^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[toxicō]]

+ * [[toxicus]]

+ * [[venēnum]]

+ * [[vīrus]]

+ * [[en|toxic]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}