adespota

From New Latin adespota (“anonymous literary works”), substantivised neuter plural of the adjective adespotos (“anonymous; undedicated”, of books), from Ancient Greek ἀδέσποτος (adéspotos, “anonymous”, of rumours or writings), from ἀ- (a-, “without”, alpha privative) + δεσπότης (despótēs, “master”). Compare despot.

• IPA^(key): /əˈdɛspətə/

adespota pl (plural only)

1. (bibliography) Literary works not attributed to (or claimed by) an author. (Originally used as a title of collections of anonymous Greek poetry.)
   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:adespota.

• “Adespota” on page 6/3 of A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles: Introduction, Supplement, and Bibliography (eds. William Alexander Craigie and Charles Talbut Onions, 1st ed., 1933)

Substantivisation of the neuter plural of adespotos in elliptical use for scrīpta adespota (“anonymous texts”).

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /aˈdes.po.ta/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /aˈdes.po.ta/,

adespota n pl (genitive adespotōrum); second declension

1. (New Latin) anonymous literary works, adespota

Second-declension noun (neuter, Greek-type), plural only.

• English: adespota

Regularly declined forms of adespotos and adespotus.

• adespota: (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /aˈdes.po.ta/,
• adespota: (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /aˈdes.po.ta/,
• adespotā: (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /aˈdes.po.taː/,
• adespotā: (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /aˈdes.po.ta/,

adespota

1. inflection of adespotos:
   1. feminine nominative/vocative singular
   2. neuter nominative/accusative/vocative plural or adespotus

adespotā

1. ablative feminine singular of adespotos or adespotus