Talk:candidus

Toga candida story

I cant search for possible reliable sources now (might later), but I can relegate from memory what I was told by my high school teacher of Latin Silvester Kopriva. He was internationally famous between latinists, also for still writing interesting poetry in Latin - but Wikipedia on linguists in Slovenia is still in bud stage, not even quite blooming, and some steps from fruition; so no good reference about him therem, yet. Shall probably do something about that, too. Util then, one of his stories from my memory, here:

Roman toga was generaly made in different colours. White toga - toga candida - was worn when somebody tried to become a consul or achieve a similar position of might (not necessarily quite public service...), so that the person to be elected/appointed... was easily visible in white betwen others on forum. From that white toga candida such a person was called candidatus (dressed white clothes), from where derives candidate of today.

This story was common knowledge 50+ years ago and before in my cultural environment. It is no more being sistematically transfered to next generations. Then, evereyone notable in linguist comminity knew and understood it. It was common sense and they thought in will stay so. That is why it is possible nobody wrote it down in a wikipedia citation needed required way. If it is not written down somewhere as a reliable source, and we oldsters die not writing it (in such a way), it shall probably be also wiped out of wiki space (not notable, not sourced... - 7 days process for narrow sighted deletionIsts) and forgotten pretty the same way as much of contents of Library of Alexandria was. The "enemy" of information in both cases was, in essence, entropia. --Marjan Tomki SI (talk) 19:37, 13 November 2020 (UTC)