tetricus

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Latin

Alternative forms

Etymology

Unknown.[1] The hypothesis presented by Lewis and Short that it is from taeter (“foul, repulsive”) seems to be based on the assumption that this word shows monophthongization of an original diphthong ae to the long vowel ē, but that is contradicted by a number of examples of the first syllable scanning short in poetry.

Pronunciation

Adjective

tetricus (feminine tetrica, neuter tetricum); first/second-declension adjective

  1. forbidding, harsh, crabbed, gloomy, sour, stern, severe
    • 16 BCE, Ovid, The Loves 3.3:
      Si deus ipse forem, numen sine fraude liceret
      femina mendaci falleret ore meum;
      ipse ego iurarem verum iurare puellas
      et non de tetricis dicerer esse deus.
      • Translation by Christopher Marlowe
        Were I a god, I should give women leave,
        With lying lips my godhead to deceive.
        Myself would swear the wenches true did swear,
        And I would be none of the gods severe.
    • 38 CE – 104 CE, Martial, Epigrammata 6.10:
      At quam non tetricus, quam nulla nubilus ira,
      Quam placido nostras legerat ore preces!
      • Translation by Ruurd R. Nauta[2]
        But how far from stern, how far from clouded by any anger, with how calm a countenance did he read my prayers!

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

Number Singular Plural
Case / Gender Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative tetricus tetrica tetricum tetricī tetricae tetrica
Genitive tetricī tetricae tetricī tetricōrum tetricārum tetricōrum
Dative tetricō tetricae tetricō tetricīs
Accusative tetricum tetricam tetricum tetricōs tetricās tetrica
Ablative tetricō tetricā tetricō tetricīs
Vocative tetrice tetrica tetricum tetricī tetricae tetrica

Synonyms

Descendants

  • → Catalan: tètric
  • → English: tetric
  • → Polish: tetryk
  • → Portuguese: tétrico
  • → Spanish: tétrico

References

  1. ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “tetricus”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 618
  2. ^ Ruurd R. Nauta (2002) Poetry for Patrons: Literary Communication in the Age of Domitian, Brill, →ISBN, page 341.

Further reading

  • “taetricus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • taetricus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
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