Quintilis

See also: quintilis

English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin Quīntīlis (Fifth Month).

Proper noun

Quintilis

  1. (historical) The month of the ancient Roman calendar which became July, the fifth month when the year began with March and the seventh after it began with January.

Synonyms

Latin

Alternative forms

  • Quint., quint. (abbreviation)
  • Quinctilis, quinctilis, quintilis

Etymology

From quīntus (fifth) +‎ -īlis, due to its position in the Roman calendar prior to the establishment of Iānuārius (January) as the first month. As a noun, ellipsis of Quīntīlis mēnsis m (fifth month).

Pronunciation

Adjective

Quīntīlis (neuter Quīntīle); third-declension two-termination adjective

  1. (historical) of the month of Quintilis (the Roman month following June; renamed July in 44 BC)
    nōnae Quīntīlēsthe nones of July
    īdibus Quīntīlibuson the ides of July

Usage notes

In Classical Latin, month names were regularly used as adjectives, generally modifying a case-form of mēnsis m sg (month) or of one of the nouns used in the Roman calendar to refer to specific days of the month from which other days were counted: Calendae f pl (calends), Nōnae f pl (nones), Īdūs f pl (ides). However, the masculine noun mēnsis could be omitted by ellipsis, so the masculine singular forms of month names eventually came to be used as proper nouns.[1]

The accusative plural adjective forms Aprīlīs, Septembrīs, Octōbrīs, Novembrīs, Decembrīs[2] are ambiguous in writing, being spelled identically to the genitive singular forms of the nouns; nevertheless, the use of ablative singular forms in and comparison with the usage of other month names as adjectives supports the interpretation of -is as an accusative plural adjective ending in Classical Latin phrases such as "kalendas Septembris".[3]

Declension

Third-declension two-termination adjective.

singular plural
masc./fem. neuter masc./fem. neuter
nominative Quīntīlis Quīntīle Quīntīlēs Quīntīlia
genitive Quīntīlis Quīntīlium
dative Quīntīlī Quīntīlibus
accusative Quīntīlem Quīntīle Quīntīlēs
Quīntīlīs
Quīntīlia
ablative Quīntīlī Quīntīlibus
vocative Quīntīlis Quīntīle Quīntīlēs Quīntīlia

Proper noun

Quīntīlis m sg (genitive Quīntīlis); third declension

  1. (historical) the month of Quintilis

Declension

Third-declension noun (i-stem, ablative singular in ).

Synonyms

Descendants

  • English: Quintilis (learned)

See also

References

  1. ^ Karl Gottlob Zumpt (1853) Leonhard Schmitz, Charles Anthon, transl., A Grammar of the Latin Language, 3rd edition, pages 31, 85
  2. ^ Gaeng, Paul A. (1968) An Inquiry into Local Variations in Vulgar Latin: As Reflected in the Vocalism of Christian Inscriptions, page 183
  3. ^ Frost, P. (1861) The Germania and Agricola of Tacitus, page 161

Further reading

  • Quintilis”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • Quintilis in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette, page 1302/3.
  • Quintilis in Georges, Karl Ernst, Georges, Heinrich (1913–1918) Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th edition, volume 2, Hahnsche Buchhandlung, column 2171