turpis

Latin

Etymology

Uncertain. Traditionally derived from Proto-Indo-European *trep- (“to turn”) (with the word interpreted as "turning away" > "repelling" > "disgusting"), and compared with Ancient Greek τρέπω (trépō, “to turn, divert”), Sanskrit त्रपते (trapate, “to be ashamed”). Compare typologically Russian отврати́тельный (otvratítelʹnyj) (< Old Church Slavonic отъвратити (otŭvratiti) < вратити (vratiti)). De Vaan is skeptical of the semantics of this derivation, and prefers, albeit with hesitation, to compare the word with torpeō (“to be stiff”).^[1]

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈtʊr.pɪs]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈt̪ur.pis]

Adjective

turpis (neuter turpe, comparative turpior, superlative turpissimus, adverb turpiter); third-declension two-termination adjective

ugly, unsightly; foul, filthy
Synonym: foedus
- Attributed to Ennius by Cicero in Dē nātūrā deōrum, Book I, Chapter XXXV
  Sīmia quam similis turpissima bēstia nōbīs!
  How similar to us is that most vile beast, the ape!
Vidē quam turpī lētō pereāmus! ― See what a disgraceful death we die!
(of sound) cacophonous, disagreeable
(figuratively) base, infamous, scandalous, dishonorable, shameful, disgraceful, unseemly, vile
- 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 4.193–194:
  Nunc hiemem inter sē luxū, quam longa, fovēre,
  rēgnōrum immemorēs, turpīque cupīdine captōs.
  Now [Dido and Aeneas] warm one another in wanton excess for as long as winter lasts, mindless of their kingdoms, and seized by shameful lust.

Declension

Third-declension two-termination adjective.

	masc./fem.	neuter	masc./fem.	neuter
	singular		plural
nominative	turpis	turpe	turpēs	turpia
genitive	turpis		turpium
dative	turpī		turpibus
accusative	turpem	turpe	turpēs turpīs	turpia
ablative	turpī		turpibus
vocative	turpis	turpe	turpēs	turpia

Derived terms

Descendants

Balkan Romance:
- → Albanian: turp
Italo-Romance:
- >? Gallurese: tulpi
- Italian: turpe
Padanian:
- Romansch: tuorp
Ibero-Romance:
- Galician: torpe
- Portuguese: torpe
- Spanish: torpe ⇒ estorpar
Insular Romance:
- Sardinian: turpe (obsolete), tzurpu (doubtful)
⇒ Vulgar Latin: *exturpiāre
- Italian: storpiare, stroppiare (Old Lucchese)
  - → French: estropier
  - → German: struppieren (regional)
  - → Portuguese: estropiar
  - → Spanish: estropear
- Piedmontese: stropiè
- Romansch: strupiar, strupchiar, strupchier, strupchá
Borrowings:
- → English: turpid
- → French: turpide, turpe
- → Hungarian: turpisság

References

“turpis”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“turpis”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
turpis in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
- a virtuous (immoral) life: vita honesta (turpis)
- to follow virtue; to flee from vice: honesta expetere; turpia fugere
Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “tŭrpis”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volume 13: To–Tyrus, page 432
Wagner, Max Leopold (1960–1964) “túrpe”, in Dizionario etimologico sardo, Heidelberg

^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 635

[1] De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 635

[1]