Monday, September 3, 2007

SOS Sabines

Languagehat has a post on the etymology of the word 'cry', going back to the Latin 'Quirites!' ('[Help], citizens!').

According to Lewis & Short (searchable at the Perseus site),

Originally, the inhabitants of the Sabine town Cures, the Quirites (very rare): prisci Quirites, Verg. A. 7, 710 Serv.: veteres illi Sabini Quirites, Col. praef. § 19. --After the Sabines and the Romans had united in one community, under Romulus, the name of Quirites was taken in addition to that of Romani, the Romans calling themselves, in a civil capacity, Quirites, while, in a political and military capacity, they retained the name of Romani: post foedus Titi (Tatii) et Romuli placuit, ut quasi unus de duobus fieret populus. Unde et Romani Quirites dicti sunt, quod nomen Sabinorum fuerat a civitate Curibus; et Sabini a Romulo Romani dicti sunt, Serv. Verg. A. 7, 710 ; cf. Liv. 1, 13.-- Joined with populus Romanus, the technical expression is usually POPVLVS ROMANVS QVIRITIVM, qs. the Roman commonwealth of Quirite citizens, the Roman nation of Quirites; but not unfreq. also in apposition: POPVLO ROMANO QVIRITIBVS (like homines prisci Latini, and populus priscorum Latinorum): QVOD BONVM FORTVNATVM FELIXQVE SALVTAREQVE SIET POPVLO ROMANO QVIRITIVM, REIQVE PVBLICAE POPVLI ROMANI QVIRITIVM ... OMNES QVIRITES, PEDITES ARMATOS PRIVATOSQVE VOCA INLICIVM HVC AD ME, Tab. Censor. ap. Varr. L. L. 6, § 86 Müll.

[This sounds like something I knew well in 1979.]

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