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”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) 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. (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.

	singular			plural
	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
  • Italian: turpe
• 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

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, volumes 13: To–Tyrus, page 432
• Wagner, Max Leopold (1960–1964) “túrpe”, in Dizionario etimologico sardo, Heidelberg