tetricus

Latin

Alternative forms

• taetricus

Etymology

Unknown. The hypothesis presented by Lewis and Short that it is from taeter (“foul, repulsive”) seems to be based on the assumption that this word shows monophthongization of an original diphthong ae to the long vowel ē, but that is contradicted by a number of examples of the first syllable scanning short in poetry.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈte.tri.kus/, [ˈt̪ɛt̪rɪkʊs̠] or IPA^(key): /ˈtet.ri.kus/, [ˈt̪ɛt̪rɪkʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈte.tri.kus/, [ˈt̪ɛːt̪rikus] or IPA^(key): /ˈtet.ri.kus/, [ˈt̪ɛt̪rikus]

Adjective

tetricus (feminine tetrica, neuter tetricum); first/second-declension adjective

1. forbidding, harsh, crabbed, gloomy, sour, stern, severe
   • 16 BCE, Ovid, The Loves 3.3:

     Si deus ipse forem, numen sine fraude liceret
     femina mendaci falleret ore meum;
     ipse ego iurarem verum iurare puellas
     et non de tetricis dicerer esse deus.

     • Translation by Christopher Marlowe

       Were I a god, I should give women leave,
       With lying lips my godhead to deceive.
       Myself would swear the wenches true did swear,
       And I would be none of the gods severe.

   • 38 CE – 104 CE, Martial, Epigrammata 6.10:

     At quam non tetricus, quam nulla nubilus ira,
     Quam placido nostras legerat ore preces!

     • Translation by Ruurd R. Nauta

       But how far from stern, how far from clouded by any anger, with how calm a countenance did he read my prayers!

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	tetricus	tetrica	tetricum		tetricī	tetricae	tetrica
Genitive	tetricī	tetricae	tetricī		tetricōrum	tetricārum	tetricōrum
Dative	tetricō		tetricō		tetricīs
Accusative	tetricum	tetricam	tetricum		tetricōs	tetricās	tetrica
Ablative	tetricō	tetricā	tetricō		tetricīs
Vocative	tetrice	tetrica	tetricum		tetricī	tetricae	tetrica

Synonyms

• sevērus
• trīstis

Descendants

• → Catalan: tètric
• → English: tetric
• → Polish: tetryk
• → Portuguese: tétrico
• → Spanish: tétrico

Further reading

• “taetricus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• taetricus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.