cautes
Latin[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Likely a hypercorrection of cōtēs, the plural of cōs (“whetstone, sharpening stone”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱeh₃- (“to sharpen”), so originally meaning “sharp points, promontories”.[1] See plaudō~plōdō for another possible example of the same hypercorrection. Cognates include Latin catus (“clever, cunning”), cōs (“whetstone”), cuneus (“wedge”) and Ancient Greek κῶνος (kônos, “cone”).
A different suggestion relates it to English heap and Tocharian B kauc (“up, high”), from an irregular-shaped root, as well as with English high, a connection rejected by modern etymologists. The three different stop consonants t~p~k under this suggestion likewise remain unexplained.[2]
Noun[edit]
cautēs f (genitive cautis); third declension
Declension[edit]
Third-declension noun (i-stem).
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | cautēs | cautēs |
| Genitive | cautis | cautium |
| Dative | cautī | cautibus |
| Accusative | cautem | cautēs cautīs |
| Ablative | caute | cautibus |
| Vocative | cautēs | cautēs |
References[edit]
- ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “cōs”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 139
- ^ Pisani, Vittore (1954) “Lat. cautēs, toch. B kauc A koc”, in Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprachforschung auf dem Gebiete der Indogermanischen Sprachen (in German), volume 72. 1./2., , pages 95–97
Further reading[edit]
- “cautēs”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “cautes”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- cautes in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.