essentia Latin · revision 7952

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=calque|attested=Seneca|origins=grc οὐσία}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [ɛsˈsɛn.ti.a]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [esˈsɛn.t͡si.a]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''essentia''' ''f'' (genitive essentiae); first declension^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is an irregular formation from [[esse]] “to be” with the suffix ⟨-entia⟩, after words like [[differentia]], coined to translate [[grc|οὐσία|tr=ousía|t=being, essence]].^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)^(TLL)^(Etymonline) Seneca ascribes the coinage to Cicero, but Quintilian, who disliked it, to the philosopher Plautus or the rhetorician Verginius Flavus.^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Köbler's first source is Seneca, whom he dates 4 BC–65 AD.^(Köbler 2010)^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It meant essence, substance, the being of a thing, as in Seneca and Quintilian, a word Quintilian found harsh.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Gaffiot 2016)

+

+ In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant essence.^(Stelten 1995) Medieval Latin used it for presence, an array, and a building as a whole.^(Niermeyer 1976) It survives in Italian ''essenza'' and French ''essence'', and [[en|essence]] came in the late 14th century, in philosophy “true being”.^(Wiktionary)^(Etymonline) Late Latin ''essentiālis'' gave [[en|essential]].^(Wiktionary)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca uses it and ascribes it to Cicero.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian criticizes it.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * late 14th century – English ''essence'' is recorded.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # [[m|en|Essence]], substance.^(OLD 2012)

+ # ''(Medieval Latin)'' Presence.^(Niermeyer 1976)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[essentiālis]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[sum]]

+ * [[substantia]]

+ * [[en|essence]]

+ * [[en|essential]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}