firmus

Latin

Alternative forms

• firmis (late)

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *fermos, from earlier *θermos, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰer-mo-s (“holding”) (whence also Sanskrit धर्म (dharma)), from the root *dʰer- (“to hold”) (whence also ferē and fermē).

Cognate with Sanskrit धरति (dhárati), Old Persian 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎫𐎡𐎹 (d-a-r-y-t-i-y /⁠dārayatiy⁠/), Persian داشتن (“have, hold”), Lithuanian derė́ti, Russian держа́ть (deržátʹ).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈfir.mus/, [ˈfɪrmʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈfir.mus/, [ˈfirmus]

Adjective

firmus (feminine firma, neuter firmum, comparative firmior, superlative firmissimus, adverb firmiter); first/second-declension adjective

1. strong, powerful

   Synonyms: praevalēns, validus, fortis, potis, potēns, strēnuus, ingēns, compos

   Antonyms: dēbilis, languidus, aeger, fractus, tenuis, obnoxius, inops

2. stable, firm

   Synonyms: dūrus, rōbustus

   Antonym: īnfirmus

3. faithful, steadfast, true

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	firmus	firma	firmum		firmī	firmae	firma
genitive	firmī	firmae	firmī		firmōrum	firmārum	firmōrum
dative	firmō	firmae	firmō		firmīs
accusative	firmum	firmam	firmum		firmōs	firmās	firma
ablative	firmō	firmā	firmō		firmīs
vocative	firme	firma	firmum		firmī	firmae	firma

Derived terms

• firmāmen
• firmāmentum
• firmātor
• firmē
• firmitās
• firmiter
• firmitūdō
• Firmius
• firmō

Descendants

• Catalan: ferm
• Corsican: fermu
• Dalmatian: farm
• → English: firm
• → Esperanto: firmo
• French: ferme
• Friulian: fêr
• → German: firm
• Italian: fermo
• Occitan: ferm
• Portuguese: firme
• Romanian: ferm
• Sardinian: fírmu
• Sicilian: fermu
• Spanish: firme

Further reading

• “firmus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “firmus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• firmus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • a strong, striking proof: argumentum firmum, magnum
    
• “firmus”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• firmus in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[2], pre-publication website, 2005-2016