cliv

Theme for the remainder of the month: Alphabet Soup

Breaking from last summer's norm of a weekly theme, this July I will go through the alphabet with a word for each letter. I have always wanted to do this, and noting that there are 26 days left in July, I jumped on the opportunity. (Shush, you who remind me that Latin doesn't really have 26 letters. There will either be Greek words having been adopted into Latin or repetitions of more common letters).

adolesco, adolescere, adolevi, adultum

Definition: to become mature, grow up; to reach manhood; (of desires, habits, etc.) to become established, grow; to grow bigger

OR

adolesco, adolescere

Definition: to burn, blaze

Sententia: Ovid's Amores, 2.19.23-24

Sic mihi durat amor longosque adolescit in annos;

Hoc iuvat; haec animi sunt alimenta mei.

Thus love establishes itself in me and grows over long years; This pleases me; these are supports to my soul.

Literally: Thus love hardens for me and it grows in long years; This helps/pleases; these are nourishments of my soul.

Found online at http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0068&query=line%3D%231551

Isn't it cool that these two words look exactly the same, yet mean different things and have different etymology? OK, the second instance is only found once in Vergil's Georgics, but still! The first is actually found in the syllabus section of the Aeneid in the PPP form in Book 1. Onto the etymology: the first comes from "ad-," "to", + "-oles." The latter isn't an official stem, it's just a sort of concept also found in "proles" and "alo" carrying a sort of old/age/life idea. The second comes from "adoleo," "to burn," + "-sco," that good ole' inchoative.