festivus Latin · revision 7900
16 Oct 2026, 14:40 by bogdan “New Latin entry (sources: de Vaan, OLD, Lewis & Short, TLL...)” current version
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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=Ennius|origins=la fēstus}}
+
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA (Classical): [feːsˈtiː.wʊs]^(Wiktionary)
+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [fesˈtiː.vus]^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Forms==
+ '''fēstīvus''' (feminine fēstīva, neuter fēstīvum, adverb fēstīvē or fēstīviter); first/second-declension adjective^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is from [[fēstus]] “festal” with the suffix [[-īvus]].^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ The OLD's earliest citation is from Ennius, of festal days.^(OLD 2012) Köbler's first source is Plautus; he dates Ennius 204–169 BC.^(Köbler 2010)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ It meant festal, of days, as in Ennius, and in Plautus a place of merrymaking.^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016) From Plautus it meant colloquially excellent, fine, and in Cicero ironically pretty.^(OLD 2012) In Terence it meant jovial, genial, and in Cicero of speech lively, bright, and in Plautus witty, amusing.^(OLD 2012)
+
+ In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant festive, pleasant, lively.^(Stelten 1995) Medieval Latin used it for festal, a holiday.^(Niermeyer 1976) It survives in Italian and Spanish ''festivo'' and French ''festif'', and [[en|festive]] came in the 1650s, “pertaining to a feast”.^(Wiktionary)^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of festal days.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)
+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of the excellent and the witty.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)
+ * 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of the genial.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)
+ * 1650s – English ''festive'' is recorded.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Meanings==
+ ===Adjective===
+ # Festal.^(OLD 2012)
+ # Excellent, fine; ironically, pretty.^(OLD 2012)
+ # Jovial, [[m|en|genial]]; lively.^(OLD 2012)
+ # Witty, amusing.^(OLD 2012)
+
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[fēstīvālis]]
+ * [[fēstīvē]]
+ * [[fēstīvitās]]
+ * [[fēstīviter]]
+ * [[fēstīvum]]
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[fēstum]]
+ * [[fēstus]]
+ * [[en|festive]]
+ * [[en|festival]]
+
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}