paene

See also: pæne

Latin

Etymology

Possibly from the same root as patior (“to suffer”); this may be Proto-Indo-European *peh₂-(i)- (“to hurt”), but its standard reconstruction as *peh₁-(i)- (or *peh₁y-) creates phonetic problems for the Latin. So, the etymology is unresolved.

The original meaning was likely “lacking, missing” (> “falling short”), as preserved in the related words paeniteō (“to cause dissatisfaction/regret”) and paenūria (“shortage”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈpae̯.ne/, [ˈpäe̯nɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈpe.ne/, [ˈpɛːne]

Adverb

paene (not comparable)

1. almost, nearly

   Synonyms: prope, fermē, ferē, iū̆xtā

2. (with negative) scarcely, hardly, barely (ex: paene incredibilia)

Derived terms

• paenīnsula
• paenultimus
• paenumbra (New Latin)

Related terms

• paenitō
• paenūria

Descendants

• >? Aromanian: pãnã, pãn
• >? Romanian: până
• → English: pene-

References

• “paene”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “paene”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• paene in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • graphic depiction: rerum sub aspectum paene subiectio (De Or. 3. 53. 202)
    
  • to almost lose one's reason from excess of joy: nimio gaudio paene desipere
    
• paene in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[2], pre-publication website, 2005-2016
• Julius Pokorny (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, in 3 vols, Bern, München: Francke Verlag