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Origin and history of tenebrous

tenebrous(adj.)

"full of darkness, gloomy," late 15c., from Old French tenebros "dark, gloomy" (11c., Modern French ténébreux), from Latin tenebrosus "dark," from tenebrae "darkness," which, according to de Vaan, is dissimilated from earlier *temebrai, from PIE root *temsro- "dark" (adj.), from *temos- "darkness," for which see temerity.

Related: Tenebrosity "darkness, gloom, obscurity" (early 15c.); tenebrity "quality of being dark" (1792); tenebrious "pertaining to darkness, of a dark nature" (1590s). Tenebrose "dark in color" is attested from early 15c., from Latin tenebrosus; it was used by 1670s as "morally or mentally dark."

Tenebrific "producing darkness" is by 1773; it is implied earlier in tenebrificating (1743).

In the Spectator, mention is made of a philosopher, Mr. Weems of Lathockar, who maintained that darkness was not simply the absence of light, but that certain heavenly bodies, termed by him Tenebrific Stars, emitted rays of positive darkness, which produced "NIGHT." [footnote in Thomas Bell, "Popular Opinions," Glasgow, 1818]

Tenebrer "bearer of darkness" (early 15c.) was an epithet of Satan; compare Lucifer.

Blount (1656) has tenebrion "one that will not be seen by day, a lurker, a night-thief ; also a night-spirit, a hobgoblin." Also compare tenebrescence.

Tenebrae ("darkness") is used of certain offices of the Catholic Church during Holy Week that emphasize the spiritual darkness of the season.

also from late 15c.

Entries linking to tenebrous

Lucifer

Old English Lucifer "Satan," also "morning star, Venus in the morning sky before sunrise," also an epithet or name of Diana, from Latin Lucifer "morning star," noun use of adjective, literally "light-bringing," from lux (genitive lucis) "light" (from PIE root *leuk- "light, brightness") + ferre "to carry, bear," from PIE root *bher- (1) "to carry," also "to bear children." Venus in the evening sky was Hesperus.

Belief that it was the proper name of Satan began with its use in Bible to translate Greek Phosphoros, which translates Hebrew Helel ben Shahar in Isaiah xiv.12 — "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!" [KJV] Because of the mention of a fall from Heaven, the verse was interpreted spiritually by Christians as a reference to Satan, even though it is literally a reference to the King of Babylon (see Isaiah xiv.4). Sometimes rendered daystar in later translations.

As "friction match," 1831, short for Lucifer match (1831). Among the 16c. adjectival forms were luciferian, luciferine. Also luciferous, which Blount (1656) defines as "that bringeth or causeth light" but Cockeram (1623) has as "Haughtie, proud."

There was a noted Bishop Lucifer of Cagliari in Sardinia in the 4th century, a strict anti-Arian regarded locally as a saint.

temerity(n.)

early 15c., temerite, "extreme venturesomeness, rashness, recklessness," from Old French temerite (14c.) and directly from Latin temeritatem (nominative temeritas) "blind chance, accident; rashness, indiscretion, foolhardiness," from temere "by chance, at random; indiscreetly, rashly, recklessly;" probably, etymologically, "blindly."

This is reconstructed to be from a PIE *temos- "darkness," source also of Sanskrit tamisra- "dark night," tamsrah "dark;" Avestan temah "darkness;" Middle Persian tar "darkness," tarig "dark;" Lithuanian tamsa "darkness," tamsus "dark;" Old Church Slavonic tima "darkness;" Old High German dinstar "dark," demar "twilight;" Old Irish temel "darkness."

The connecting notion would be "blindly, in darkness," hence "without foreseeing." Compare Latin tenebrio "dishonest person," apparently "person who operates in darkness" (see tenebrous).

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