alacer
Latin
Etymology
Somewhat uncertain. The masculine nominative singular form is derived by syncope from alacris (attested in Ennius), which probably developed by dissimilation from earlier *alaklis,[1][2] with the ending ultimately going back to -*tlis, from Proto-Indo-European *-tl-, a variant of the zero-grade of the agent suffix *-tḗr. Compare volucer, volucris. However, De Vaan regards the origin of the *-kris ending as uncertain.[3] The *ala- portion is seemingly from a root of the form *h₂elH-.[2][3][4] De Vaan and Schrijver consider ambulō (“to traverse, walk”) a potential but not certain cognate, and reconstruct the common root (if the relationship is valid) as Proto-Indo-European *h₂elh₂- (“to wander, roam”), cognate with Ancient Greek ἀλάομαι (aláomai, “roam”).[3][4] The same root may alternatively be reconstructed as Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-. Another possible cognate is Ancient Greek ἐλαύνω (elaúnō, “to drive”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁elh₂- (“to drive”). Another theory connects the word to Proto-Germanic *aljaną (“vigor, strength”), whence English ellen.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈa.la.ker/, [ˈäɫ̪äkɛr]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈa.la.t͡ʃer/, [ˈäːlät͡ʃer]
Adjective
alacer (feminine alacris, neuter alacre, comparative alacrior); third-declension three-termination adjective
Usage notes
The superlative form alacerrimus is very rare in old and classical Latin.
Declension
Third-declension three-termination adjective.
| Number | Singular | Plural | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case / Gender | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
| Nominative | alacer | alacris | alacre | alacrēs | alacria | ||
| Genitive | alacris | alacrium | |||||
| Dative | alacrī | alacribus | |||||
| Accusative | alacrem | alacre | alacrēs | alacria | |||
| Ablative | alacrī | alacribus | |||||
| Vocative | alacer | alacris | alacre | alacrēs | alacria | ||
Descendants
- Gallo-Italic
- Ligurian: alêgro
- Lombard: allégher, alégher
- Piedmontese: alégher
- Italo-Dalmatian
- Old French: halaigre
- Old Occitan:
- Catalan: alegre
- Occitan: alègre
- Rhaeto-Romance
- Friulian: legri
- Romansch: alleger
- Sardinian: allegru
- Campidanese: allirgu
- Logudorese: allegru
- Venetian: aliegro, ałégro, ałłégro
- West Iberian
- → Basque: alaikiro
- → Portuguese: álacre
References
- Ranjan Sen (2015) Syllable and Segment in Latin, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 107
- Weiss, Michael L. (2009) Outline of the Historical and Comparative Grammar of Latin, Ann Arbor: Beech Stave Press, →ISBN, page 318
- De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “alacer”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 32
- Schrijver, Peter C. H. (1991) The reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European laryngeals in Latin (Leiden studies in Indo-European; 2), Amsterdam, Atlanta: Rodopi, →ISBN, page 40
Further reading
- “alacer”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “alacer”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- alacer in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
- Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
- to show a brisk and cheerful spirit: alacri et erecto animo esse
- to show a brisk and cheerful spirit: alacri et erecto animo esse