peculium Latin · revision 8384

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [pɛˈkuː.li.ũː]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [peˈkuː.li.um]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''pecūlium''' ''n'' (genitive pecūliī or pecūlī); second declension^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is from [[pecū]] “cattle” through an unattested adjective ⟨*pecūlis⟩ “belonging to one's own livestock”, and Varro already connected them.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary) Property originally consisted of cattle.^(Lewis & Short 1879) De Vaan traces ⟨pecū⟩ to [[ine-pro|*peḱ-u-|t=cattle]].^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Köbler's first source is Plautus, whom he dates c. 250–184 BC.^(Köbler 2010) The OLD's earliest citation is from Plautus, of a slave's savings.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It meant money or property managed as his own by someone who could not legally own it, above all a slave's savings, as in Plautus, Varro and Virgil, and the property of a son still under his father's power, as in Livy.^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016) In Celsus it meant a reserve fund.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ British Medieval Latin used it for property and resources, for cattle, and of Christ's flock.^(DMLBS) It was borrowed into Italian ''peculio'' and French ''pécule''.^(Wiktionary) Its adjective ''pecūliāris'' “of one's own” gave [[en|peculiar]] in the mid-15th century.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

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

+ * 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of a son's property.^(Gaffiot 2016)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * mid-15th century – English ''peculiar'' is recorded.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A slave's or son's own property, savings.^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016)

+ # A reserve fund.^(OLD 2012)

+ # ''(Medieval Latin)'' Property; cattle.^(DMLBS)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[expecūliātus]]

+ * [[pecūliāris]]

+ * [[pecūliārius]]

+ * [[pecūliō]]

+ * [[pecūliolum]]

+ * [[pecūliōsus]]

+ * [[pecūlor]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[pecū]]

+ * [[pecūnia]]

+ * [[en|peculiar]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}