R

Latin > English

R, abb. ADJ :: Roman (abb.); [E.Q.R. => Eques Romanus]; Rufus

Latin > English (Lewis & Short)

R: r, indecl. n. or (sc. littera) f.
I The seventeenth letter of the Latin alphabet, which derives its form from the Greek P, but is not, like that, aspirated. Thus Burrus, arrabo, were originally written for Πύρρος, ἀρραβών. In words borrowed from the Greek, an h was subsequently appended to the r, as a sign of the spiritus asper. On account of its vibratory sound, resembling the snarling of a dog, r is called by Persius littera canina, Sat. 1, 109; cf. Lucil. ap. Charis. p. 100 P. —
II In many words, r medial and final (but not initial) represents an original s. Tradition ascribes the introduction of r for s to Appius Claudius Caecus, consul 446 and 457 A. U. C., or to L. Papirius Crassus, consul 417 A. U. C., Dig. 1, 2, 2, § 36; Cic. Fam. 9, 21, 2. Examples of a change of s into r are: asa, lases, plusima, meliosem, meliosibus, foedesum, Fusius, Papisius, Valesius, fusvos, janitos, into ara, lares, plurima, meliorem, melioribus, foederum, Furius, Papirius, Valerius, furvus, janitor; heri (compared with hesternus and the Greek χθές); so, too, dirimo is formed from dis-emo. Cf. Varr. L. L. 7, § 26 Müll.; Cic. l. l.; Quint. 1, 4, 13; Ter. Scaur. p. 2252 and 2258 P.; Fest. s. v. Aureliam, p. 20; R pro S, p. 134; pignosa, p. 198. Both sounds have maintained their place in some substantives of the third declension ending in or or os (arbor, color, honor, labor, lepor, etc., and also arbos, colos, honos, labos, lepos, etc.); so in quaeso, quaesumus, also written quaero, quaerimus; cf. nasus and naris, pulvis and pulver, etc.— The converse change of an original r into s appears very doubtful. Forms like hesternus (from heri), festus (also feriae), ustum (from uro), etc., indicate rather an original s, when compared with arbustum also arboretum, and majusculus also major.— For the relation of the r to d and l, v. D and L. —
III R is assimilated,
   a Most freq. before l: libellus, tenellus, intellego, pellicio, from liber, tener, inter-lego, per-lacio, v. the art. per. —
   b Before s: dossuarius, from dorsum. —
R is elided in pejero (from perjuro), and in the forms crebesco, rubesco, susum, also written crebresco, rubresco, sursum, etc. —
As an abbreviation, R. signifies Romanus, also Rufus, recte, reficiendum, regnum, ripa, et mult. al.; R.P. respublica; R.R. rationes relatae (cf. Fest. p. 228 Müll.).

Latin > German (Georges)

R, r, der siebzehnte Buchstabe des latein. Alphabets (littera R, Donat. Ter. Andr. 3, 4, 18, R littera, Pompon. de orig. iur. § 36 Osann), entsprechend dem griech. Ρ (ῥῶ), jedoch mit Wegfall der Aspiration, daher man in frühester Zeit aus Πύῤῥος Burrus (vgl. Cic. or. 160), aus ἀῤῥαβών arrabo u.a. bildete und erst später mit Einschiebung eines h Pyrrhus, arrhabo usw. schrieb. Vgl. Quint. 1, 5, 19. Im weitesten Umfang ist r mit s verwandt, u. namentlich war in den ältesten Zeiten bei vielen Wörtern s st. r gebräuchlich, zB. Fusius, später Furius; so auch lases st. lares; später noch honor u. honos in gleicher Geltung, lepos gebräuchlicher als lepor, bei Dichtern auch arbos (= arbor), labos (= labor). Eine gleiche Verwandtschaft findet sich mit d, zB. ar alt st. ad (so auch arfuisse = adfuisse), meridies entstanden aus medius dies. Ferner erfährt r sehr häufig eine Assimilation vor l, wie auschließlich in pellicio (aus per u. lacio) und ist in peiero ganz ausgefallen. – Als Abkürzung ist ist R = Romanus (in S.P.Q.R. = senatus populusque Romanus) u. = Rufus, recte, regnum, reficiendum u.a. – R.R. = rationes relatae (vgl. Fest. 274 [b], 5). – R.P. = res publica.