firmus

Latin

Alternative forms

firmis (late)

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *fermos, from earlier *θermos, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰer-mo-s (“holding”) (whence also Sanskrit धर्म (dharma)), from the root *dʰer- (“to hold”) (whence also ferē and fermē).

Cognate with Sanskrit धरति (dhárati), Old Persian 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎫𐎡𐎹 (d-a-r-y-t-i-y /⁠dārayatiy⁠/), Persian (“have, hold”), Lithuanian derė́ti, Russian держа́ть (deržátʹ).^[1]

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈfɪr.mʊs]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈfir.mus]

Adjective

firmus (feminine firma, neuter firmum, comparative firmior, superlative firmissimus, adverb firmiter); first/second-declension adjective

strong, powerful
Synonyms: praevalēns, validus, fortis, potis, potēns, strēnuus, ingēns, compos

Antonyms: dēbilis, languidus, aeger, fractus, tenuis, obnoxius, inops
stable, firm
Synonyms: dūrus, rōbustus

Antonym: īnfirmus
faithful, steadfast, true

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
	singular			plural
nominative	firmus	firma	firmum	firmī	firmae	firma
genitive	firmī	firmae	firmī	firmōrum	firmārum	firmōrum
dative	firmō	firmae	firmō	firmīs
accusative	firmum	firmam	firmum	firmōs	firmās	firma
ablative	firmō	firmā	firmō	firmīs
vocative	firme	firma	firmum	firmī	firmae	firma

Derived terms

Descendants

Catalan: ferm
Corsican: fermu
Dalmatian: farm
→ English: firm
→ Esperanto: firmo
French: ferme
Friulian: fêr
→ German: firm
Italian: fermo
Occitan: ferm
Portuguese: firme
Romanian: ferm
Sardinian: fírmu
Sicilian: fermu
Spanish: firme

References

^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “firmus”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 223

“firmus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“firmus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
firmus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
- a strong, striking proof: argumentum firmum, magnum
“firmus”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
firmus in Ramminger, Johann (16 July 2016 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[2], pre-publication website, 2005-2016

[1] De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “firmus”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 223

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