sophus

See also: Sophus and sophos

Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek σοφός (sophós, adjective). Compare to Latin sapiēns (adjective).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈso.pʰus/, [ˈs̠ɔpʰʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈso.fus/, [ˈsɔːfus]

Adjective

sophus (feminine sopha, neuter sophum); first/second-declension adjective

1. Wise, sage, shrewd.
   • c. 15 BCE – c. 50 CE, Phaedrus (fabulist), Fabulae 3.14.9–11:

     Tum victor sophus: ¶ Cito rumpes arcum semper si tensum habueris; ¶ At si laxaris, cum voles erit utilis.

   • Ælfric Bata, edited by Scott Gwara and translated into English by David W. Porter, Anglo-Saxon Conversations: The colloquies of Ælfric Bata, 1997, page 184f.:

     Consultius est uobis esse sophos quam stolidos et ebetes [= hebetes] uel inertes et ignaros.

     It is better for you to be wise than foolish, dull, lazy or ignorant.

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	sophus	sopha	sophum		sophī	sophae	sopha
Genitive	sophī	sophae	sophī		sophōrum	sophārum	sophōrum
Dative	sophō		sophō		sophīs
Accusative	sophum	sopham	sophum		sophōs	sophās	sopha
Ablative	sophō	sophā	sophō		sophīs
Vocative	sophe	sopha	sophum		sophī	sophae	sopha

Note: The feminine and the neuter forms are unattested.

Noun

sophus m (genitive sophī); second declension

1. A wise man, a sage.

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	sophus	sophī
Genitive	sophī	sophōrum
Dative	sophō	sophīs
Accusative	sophum	sophōs
Ablative	sophō	sophīs
Vocative	sophe	sophī

Note:
Several inflected forms could belong to both sophos and sophus, as for example the genitive plural sophōrum in this medieval text:

• Monumenta Germaniae historicae. Poetarum latinorum medii aevi tomus I. – Poetae latini aevi Carolini. Tomus I edited by Ernestus Duemmler, Berlin, 1881, page 294 containing Alcuinus (or Albinus), carmina, LXXII:

  [...] simul argumenta sophorum, [...]

A form which only belongs to sophus and not to sophos occurs in these medieval mentionings:

• Classicorum auctorum e vaticanis codibus editorum tomus VIII: Thesaurus novus latinatis, sive lexicon vetus e membranis nunc primum erutum, edited by A. M. (= Angelus Maius), Roma, 1836, page 544 (first and second declension adjective are commonly mentioned as ...us, a, um in it) – this work is elsewhere attributed to Osbern of Gloucester, in German to Osbern von Gloucester with the title "Panormia oder Derivationes":

  [...] inde hic sophus † sapiens [...]

• Uguccione da Pisa – Derivationes – Edizione critica princeps a cura di Enzo Cecchini, 2004 containing the Derivationes by Hugutio Pisanus or Huguccio Pisanus (Italian Uguccione da Pisa, English Huguccio of Pisa, Hugutio of Pisa or Hugh of Pisa):

  SOPHOS grece, latine dicitur sapiens vel cautus, sapienter dictus, et versa -os in -us dicitur hic sophus -phi, idest sapiens;

Alternative forms

• sophos

References

• “sŏphus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “sophus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• sophus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• sophus in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[1], pre-publication website, 2005-2016
• "sophos", in James Bailey, ed., The universal Latin lexicon of Facciolauts and Forcellinus, new ed., London : Baldwin and Cradock, 1828, v. 2, p. 585. →OCLC.
• "sŏphŏs or sŏphŭs", in Frederick Percival Leverett, ed., A new and copious lexicon of the Latin language, new ed., Boston: Bazin & Ellsworth, 1850, v. 1, p. 836. →OCLC.
• "Sophus", in Charles Anthon, A Latin-English and English-Latin dictionary, for the use of schools, New York: Harper & Brothers, 1852 (1853 printing), p. 830. →OCLC.
• "Sŏphus (-ŏs)" in James R. V. Marchant, Joseph F. Charles, eds., Cassell's Latin dictionary, New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1953 printing, p. 532. →OCLC.
• "sŏphos or sŏphus", in George R. Crooks, Alexander J. Schem, eds., A new Latin-English school lexicon : on the basis of the Latin-German lexicon of Dr. C. F. Ingerslev, Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1867, p. 850. →OCLC.