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ludicer. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
ludicer, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
ludicer in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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Latin
Etymology
From lūdō (“play”). In terms of form, the neuter noun lūdicrum (“toy, plaything, public show”) could be interpreted as lūdō + -crum (instrument noun suffix);[1] however, the adjective is attested earlier than the noun. Sen 2015 views this as compelling evidence that the noun was a later, secondary formation[2] (by nominalization of the adjective), which is the generally accepted view; however, Moretti 2022 considers the chronology insufficient to rule out the possibility that the noun was formed first and gave rise to the adjective by reanalysis.[3] In any case, the ending is probably ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *-tl-, a variant of the zero-grade of the agent suffix *-tḗr. Compare i-stem volucer, volucris and alacer, alacris.
Pronunciation
Adjective
lūdicer (feminine lūdicra, neuter lūdicrum); first/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er)
- sportive
Usage notes
- The word is not attested in the masculine nominative singular until the 17th century, and it is unclear whether that form would have been lūdicer or lūdicrus in Roman times (both are attested in New Latin). An alternative declension as a third-declension adjective is attested by Late Latin, but it is unclear how old this is: Ennius seems to use the form lūdĭcrĕ as an adverb ("pars ludicre saxa"), which looks like a third-declension neuter accusative singular form (compare facile).
Declension
First/second-declension adjective.
References
- ^ Weiss, Michael L. (2009) Outline of the Historical and Comparative Grammar of Latin, Ann Arbor: Beech Stave Press, →ISBN, page 283
- ^ Ranjan Sen (2015) Syllable and Segment in Latin, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 103
- ^ Moretti, Paola Francesca (2022) “Ludicrum, a Word for “Toy, Plaything”. Some Remarks on its Origin and Use”, in Véronique Dasen & Marco Vespa, editors, Toys as Cultural Artefacts in Ancient Greece,
Etruria, and Rome (Monographies Instrumentum; 75), →ISBN, →ISSN
Further reading
- “ludicer”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “ludicer”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- ludicer in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.