turpis

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *trep- (“to turn”). Cognate with Ancient Greek τρέπω (trépō), Sanskrit त्रपते (trapate).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈtur.pis/, [ˈt̪ʊrpɪs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈtur.pis/, [ˈt̪urpis]

Adjective

turpis (neuter turpe, comparative turpior, superlative turpissimus, adverb turpiter); third-declension two-termination adjective

1. ugly, unsightly; foul, filthy

   Synonym: foedus

   • Attributed to Ennius by Cicero in Dē nātūrā deōrum, Book I, Chapter XXXV

     Sīmia quam similis turpissima bēstia nōbīs!

     How similar to us is that most vile beast, the ape!

2. (of sound) cacophonous, disagreeable
3. (figurative) base, infamous, scandalous, dishonorable, shameful, disgraceful

Declension

Third-declension two-termination adjective.

Number	Singular			Plural
Case / Gender	Masc./Fem.	Neuter		Masc./Fem.	Neuter
Nominative	turpis	turpe		turpēs	turpia
Genitive	turpis			turpium
Dative	turpī			turpibus
Accusative	turpem	turpe		turpēs turpīs	turpia
Ablative	turpī			turpibus
Vocative	turpis	turpe		turpēs	turpia

Derived terms

Derived terms

• turpiculus
• turpificātus
• turpiloquium
• turpilucricupidus
• turpilucrus
• turpe
• turpiter
• turpitūdō
• turpō

Descendants

• Balkan Romance:
  • → Albanian: turp
• Italo-Romance:
  • >? Gallurese: tulpi
• Padanian:
  • Romansch: tuorp
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Galician: torpe
  • Portuguese: torpe
  • Spanish: torpe ⇒ estorpar
• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: turpe (obsolete), tzurpu (doubtful)
• ⇒ Vulgar Latin: *exturpiāre
  • Italian: storpiare, stroppiare (Old Lucchese)
    • → French: estropier
    • → German: struppieren (regional)
    • → Portuguese: estropiar
    • → Spanish: estropear
  • Piedmontese: stropiè
  • Romansch: strupiar, strupchiar, strupchier, strupchá
• Borrowings:
  • → English: turpid
  • → French: turpide, turpe
  • → Hungarian: turpisság
  • → Italian: turpe

References

• “turpis”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “turpis”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• turpis in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • a virtuous (immoral) life: vita honesta (turpis)
    
  • to follow virtue; to flee from vice: honesta expetere; turpia fugere
    
• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “tŭrpis”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 13: To–Tyrus, page 432
• Wagner, Max Leopold (1960–1964), “túrpe”, in Dizionario etimologico sardo, Heidelberg