Centesimus Vicesimus Primus: January 4, 2009: Auctoritas
Theme for this month: Words from prose
I have realized that most of the words that I use are predominately poetic words, because I make sure that the words occur at least a couple of times in the poetic works tested on the AP Syllabi of Ovid-Catullus and Vergil. Thus, lest I discriminate against Cicero, Caesar, Pliny, and others, I am highlighting words primarily used in prose this month.
auctoritas, auctoritatis f.
Definition: 1. source; lead, responsibility
2. judgment; opinion; advice, support; bidding, guidance; (of senate) decree; (of people) will
3. power; (person) influence, authority, prestige; (things) importance, worth; (conduct) example; (knowledge) warrant, document, authority; (property) right of posession
Sententia: Cum Caesar, dicens "alea iacta est," Rubiconem transiret, auctoritatem senatus ignoravit, nullae nam copiae duci trans illum flumen sitae sunt.
When Caesar, saying "the die has been cast," crossed the Rubicon, he disregarded a decree of the Senate, for no troops were allowed to be lead across that river.
Auctoritas occurs a good deal in Cicero--9 times in Pro Caelio and 4 times in Pro Archia, two texts on the AP Cicero syllabus. It ultimately derives from the word augeo, meaning "to increase," via auctor. The suffix -tor in auctor makes agents from verbs, and the suffix -tas in auctoritas is used to denote abstracts.
NB: Bold and underlined == macron