arduus

Latin

Etymology

Disputed.

• Perhaps from Proto-Italic *arðwos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃r̥dʰwós, from *h₃erdʰ- + *-wós (whence Latin -uus). The development of the Latin term is slightly unusual, as the sequence *-rdʰ- typically produces Latin -rb. According to De Vaan, it is possible that *-w- in the pre-form may have prevented the development into a labial, thereby explaining the Latin term.
• Alternatively, the linguist Nicholas Zair derives the term from *h₂r̥Hdʰ-ew-, the weak stem of a Proto-Indo-European u-stem adjective. According to this theory, the term would follow a development from *h₂r̥Hdʰ-ew- > *aradʰ-ew- > *arad-ew-, whence ultimately arduus.
• The linguist Robert Woodhouse proposes that a sequence *Hh₃r̥dʰwo- could produce arduus via sound development of *HHC- to Latin aC-.

Cognate with Latin arbor (“tree”), Welsh ardd (“high; hill”), Old Irish ard (“high; height”), Ancient Greek ὀρθός (orthós, “upright, straight”), Sanskrit ऊर्ध्व (ūrdhvá, “rising upwards, high”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈar.du.ʊs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈar.du.us]

Adjective

arduus (feminine ardua, neuter arduum); first/second-declension adjective

1. lofty, high, steep, tall, elevated
2. hard to reach, difficult, laborious, arduous

   Nihil mortalibus ardui est.

   Nothing is hard for mortals. (Horace)

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	arduus	ardua	arduum		arduī	arduae	ardua
genitive	arduī	arduae	arduī		arduōrum	arduārum	arduōrum
dative	arduō	arduae	arduō		arduīs
accusative	arduum	arduam	arduum		arduōs	arduās	ardua
ablative	arduō	arduā	arduō		arduīs
vocative	ardue	ardua	arduum		arduī	arduae	ardua

Derived terms

• arduitās
• perarduus

Descendants

• → Catalan: ardu
• → English: arduous
• → French: ardu
• → Galician: arduo
• → Italian: arduo
• → Portuguese: árduo
• → Spanish: arduo

References

• “arduus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “arduus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “arduus”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 52-53
• Nicholas Zair (2012), The reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European laryngeals in Celtic (Brill's studies in Indo-European languages & linguistics), Brill, →ISBN, pages 40-41
• Robert Woodhouse (1 January 2011), “Lubotsky's and Beekes' laws, PIE *(H)r-, *(H)i(V)-, *a and some other laryngeal matters”, in Studia Etymologica Cracoviensia‎, volume 16, page 162