limpidus

Latin

Etymology

Of unclear origin. Traditionally derived from Proto-Indo-European *leh₂p- (“to shine”) and so cognate with Old Norse leiptr (“lightning”), Lithuanian liepsnà (“flame”), Ancient Greek λάμπω (lámpō, “to shine”), Lithuanian lópė (“light”), Latvian lāpa (“torch”). Another theory links the word to limpor (“clear liquid”) and/or lympha (“clear river water”). Finally, an alternative theory derives the word, perhaps via a dialectal Sabellic form, from an unattested *limp-ē- (“to be liquid”), from Proto-Italic *lin-kʷ-ē-, itself related to *linkʷō (“to leave”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈlɪm.pɪ.dʊs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈlim.pi.d̪us]

Adjective

limpidus (feminine limpida, neuter limpidum, superlative limpidissimus); first/second-declension adjective

1. clear, bright, transparent, limpid
2. (Late Latin) clean

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	limpidus	limpida	limpidum		limpidī	limpidae	limpida
genitive	limpidī	limpidae	limpidī		limpidōrum	limpidārum	limpidōrum
dative	limpidō	limpidae	limpidō		limpidīs
accusative	limpidum	limpidam	limpidum		limpidōs	limpidās	limpida
ablative	limpidō	limpidā	limpidō		limpidīs
vocative	limpide	limpida	limpidum		limpidī	limpidae	limpida

Derived terms

• limpidō

Descendants

• Balkan Romance:
  • Aromanian: limpid, limpidu, limpidi, limpide, limbid, limbit
  • Romanian: limpede
• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: limpidu, limpiu
• Italo-Romance:
  • Corsican: limpiu
  • Italian: lémporo (western Tuscany)
• North Italian:
  • Friulian: limpi
  • Istriot: leînpio
• Occitano-Romance:
  • Gascon: limpe
  • Occitan: linde
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Asturian: llimpiu
  • Galician: limpo
  • Portuguese: limpo
  • Spanish: limpio
• Borrowings:
  • → French: limpide
    • → English: limpid
  • → Italian: limpido
  • → Portuguese: límpido
  • → Romanian: limpid
  • → Spanish: límpido

References

• Buchi, Éva; Schweickard, Wolfgang (2008–), “*/ˈlɪmpid-u/”, in Dictionnaire Étymologique Roman, Nancy: Analyse et Traitement Informatique de la Langue Française.

Further reading

• “limpidus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “limpidus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “limpidus”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.