elephantus Latin · revision 9358

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=Ennius|origins=grc ἐλέφας}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [ɛ.ɫɛˈpʰan.tʊs]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [e.leˈfan.tus]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''elephantus''' ''m'' (genitive elephantī); second declension^(Wiktionary)

+ Also ''elefantus'' and ''elephās'' (''elephāns''), genitive ''elephantis'', and Manilius and Martial have the Greek accusative ''elephanta''.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|grc|ἐλέφας|tr=eléphas|t=elephant; ivory]] (genitive ⟨eléphantos⟩), of unclear further origin.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)^(Köbler 2010) Etymonline thinks the Greek word is probably from a non-Indo-European language, likely through Phoenician.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Köbler's earliest source is Ennius, whom he dates 204–169 BC, and the OLD's first citations for the animal are from Plautus.^(Köbler 2010)^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It was the elephant, and in poetry, as in Virgil, ivory.^(OLD 2012) Lucretius used ''elephās'' of the disease elephantiasis, which arises by the Nile, and Pliny the Elder used it for a large kind of lobster and for an unidentified sea creature.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ Medieval Latin used it for ivory.^(Niermeyer 1976) Old High German borrowed it as ''helfant''.^(Köbler 2010) [[en|elephant]] came through Old French ''olifant'' about 1300 and was respelled on the Latin model after 1550.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it.^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of a disease.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of ivory.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 1300 – English ''olyfaunt'' is recorded.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # An [[m|en|elephant]].^(OLD 2012)

+ # (poetic) [[m|en|ivory|alt=Ivory]].^(OLD 2012)^(Niermeyer 1976)

+ # ''(medicine)'' [[m|en|elephantiasis|alt=Elephantiasis]].^(OLD 2012)

+ # A large kind of [[m|en|lobster]]; a sea creature.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[ebur]]

+ * [[en|elephant]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}