postremus Latin · revision 9617

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [pɔsˈtreː.mʊs]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [posˈtrɛː.mus]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''postrēmus''' (superlative, feminine postrēma, neuter postrēmum); first/second declension^(Wiktionary)

+ In the sense “worst” it was treated as a positive, with comparative ''postrēmior'' (Apuleius) and superlative ''postrēmissimus'' (Gracchus).^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is the superlative of [[posterus]] “following”, from Proto-Italic ⟨*posterisemos⟩, like [[extrēmus]] and [[suprēmus]].^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary) De Vaan traces ⟨posterus⟩ to [[itc-pro|*post-ero-|t=later]], from [[ine-pro|*pos(ti)|t=after]].^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus.^(OLD 2012) Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It meant last in time, final, as in Plautus; most recent, latest; nearest the end, rearmost, as in Caesar's ''ut quisque in fugā postrēmus''; last in a series, ''ad postrēmum'' “finally”; and of evils extreme, worst, as in Cicero.^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016)

+

+ In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant latest, last, and ''postrēmō'', ''ad postrēmum'' were “lastly, finally”.^(Stelten 1995) British Medieval Latin used it for last, final.^(DMLBS) It survives in Italian and Portuguese ''postremo''.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of the worst.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Last, final; latest.^(OLD 2012)

+ # Rearmost, [[m|en|hindmost]].^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016)

+ # Worst, extreme.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[postremitas]]

+ * [[postrēmōgenitus]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[posterus]]

+ * [[post]]

+ * [[postumus]]

+ * [[extrēmus]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}