turpis

Latin

Etymology

Traditionally derived from Proto-Indo-European *trep- (“to turn”) (with the word interpreted as "turning away" > "repelling" > "disgusting"), and compared with Ancient Greek τρέπω (trépō, “to turn, divert”), Sanskrit त्रपते (trapate, “to be ashamed”). De Vaan is skeptical of the semantics of this derivation, and prefers, albeit with trepidation, to compare the word with torpeō (“to be stiff”).[1]

Pronunciation

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. (figuratively) base, infamous, scandalous, dishonorable, shameful, disgraceful, unseemly, vile
    • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 4.193–194:
      Nunc hiemem inter sē luxū, quam longa, fovēre,
      rēgnōrum immemorēs, turpīque cupīdine captōs.
      Now [Dido and Aeneas] warm one another in wanton excess for as long as winter lasts, mindless of their kingdoms, and seized by shameful lust.

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

Descendants
  • Balkan Romance:
    • → Albanian: turp
  • Italo-Romance:
    • >? Gallurese: tulpi
  • Padanian:
    • Romansch: tuorp
  • Ibero-Romance:
  • Insular Romance:
  • ⇒ Vulgar Latin: *exturpiāre
  • Borrowings:

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, 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), volumes 13: To–Tyrus, page 432
  • Wagner, Max Leopold (1960–1964) “túrpe”, in Dizionario etimologico sardo, Heidelberg
  1. De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 635
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