spatium

Latin

 spatium on Latin Wikipedia

Etymology

Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *sph₁-to- (“extended”), an extension of *speh₁- (“to prosper, succeed”).

An alternative theory derives the word from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peh₂- (“to stretch, to pull”), and compares with Ancient Greek σπάω (spáō), Ancient Greek σπάθη (spáthē), Ancient Greek σπάνις (spánis), English span.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈspa.ti.um/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈspat.t͡si.um/,

Noun

spatium n (genitive spatiī or spatī); second declension

1. space, room, extent
   • 8 CE, Ovid, Fasti 2.683–684:

     gentibus est aliīs tellūs data līmite certō:
     Rōmānae spatium est urbis et orbis īdem.

     To other nations, land has been allotted with a certain limit.
     The extent of the Roman city and of the world is the same.
     Or, in more natural English:
     Though other nations have been granted land with a border,
     the city of Rome's extent equals that of the world.

2. distance between points
3. a square, walk, or promenade
4. racetrack, lap or a race, or racecourse
5. period or interval of time

   Synonym: intervallum

   • c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico 1.7:

     Tamen, ut spatium intercedere posset dum milites quos imperaverat convenirent, legatis respondit diem se ad deliberandum sumpturum: si quid vellent, ad Id. April. reverterentur.

     Yet, in order that a period might intervene, until the soldiers whom he had ordered should assemble, he replied to the ambassadors, that he would take time to deliberate; if they wanted any thing, they might return on the day before the ides of April.

6. quantity of length
7. time or leisure, as with opportunity

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

Derived terms

• spatiolum
• spatior
• spatiōsus

Descendants

References

• “spatium”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “spatium”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• spatium in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• spatium in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • at a great distance: longo spatio, intervallo interiecto
    
  • to finish a very long journey: longum itineris spatium emetiri
    
  • to require, give, take time for deliberation: tempus (spatium) deliberandi or ad deliberandum postulare, dare, sibi sumere
    
  • to give some one a few days for reflection: paucorum dierum spatium ad deliberandum dare
    
  • after some time: spatio temporis intermisso
    
  • to give time for recovery: respirandi spatium dare
    
• spatium in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎, pre-publication website, 2005-2016

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin spatium (“space, distance”).

Noun

spatium n (definite singular spatiet, indefinite plural spatier, definite plural spatia or spatiene)

1. (letterpress typography) space

References

• “spatium” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin spatium (“space, distance”), whence also English space.

Noun

spatium n (definite singular spatiet, indefinite plural spatium, definite plural spatia)

1. (letterpress typography) space

References

• “spatium” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.