alacer

Latin

Etymology

Uncertain origin, but possibly from a Proto-Indo-European root shared with Germanic *aljaną (“vigor, strength”), see English ellen.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈa.la.ker/, [ˈäɫ̪äkɛr]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈa.la.t͡ʃer/, [ˈäːlät͡ʃer]

Adjective

alacer (feminine alacris, neuter alacre, comparative alacrior); third-declension three-termination adjective

1. lively, brisk, quick, eager, active, peppy, excited

   Synonyms: strēnuus, impiger, vīvus, ācer, fortis

2. glad, happy, cheerful

   Synonyms: laetus, vīvus, felix

   Antonyms: trīstis, infelix, maestus

Declension

Third-declension three-termination adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	alacer	alacris	alacre		alacrēs		alacria
Genitive	alacris				alacrium
Dative	alacrī				alacribus
Accusative	alacrem		alacre		alacrēs		alacria
Ablative	alacrī				alacribus
Vocative	alacer	alacris	alacre		alacrēs		alacria

Usage notes

The superlative form alacerrimus is very rare in old and classical Latin.

Derived terms

• alacritās
• alacriter

Descendants

• Gallo-Italic
  • Ligurian: alêgro
  • Lombard: allégher, alégher
  • Piedmontese: alégher
• Italo-Dalmatian
  • Corsican: alegru, allegru

    Gallurese: allegru

  • Dalmatian: alegr, aleger
  • Italian: alacre
  • Sassarese: allegru
• Old French: halaigre
  • French: allègre
    • → Italian: allegro (see there for further descendants)
    • → Romanian: alegru
  • Norman: allègre
• Old Occitan: [Term?]
  • Catalan: alegre
  • Occitan: alègre
• Rhaeto-Romance
  • Friulian: legri
  • Romansch: alleger
• Sardinian: allegru

  Campidanese: allirgu

  Logudorese: allegru

• Venetian: aliegro, ałégro, ałłégro
• West Iberian
  • Aragonese: alegre
  • Extremaduran: alegri
  • Old Leonese: [Term?]
    • Asturian: allegre
    • Leonese: allegre
  • Old Portuguese: alegre
    • Galician: alegre
    • Portuguese: alegre
  • Old Spanish: [Term?]
    • Ladino: alegre
    • Spanish: alegre
• → Basque: alaikiro
• → Portuguese: álacre

References

• alacer in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• alacer in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• alacer in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to show a brisk and cheerful spirit: alacri et erecto animo esse