nounthird declension
barbā tenus sapiēns
barbā tenus sapiēns m or f (genitive barbā tenus sapientis)
Classical[barˈbaː.tɛ.nʊs ˈsa.pi.ẽːs]Ecclesiastical[ˈbar.ba ˈtɛː.nus ˈsaː.pi.ens]
Meaning
- derogatoryidiomaticmildlya phoney philosopher, a sophist
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | barbā tenus sapiēns | barbā tenus sapientēs |
| genitive | barbā tenus sapientis | barbā tenus sapientum |
| dative | barbā tenus sapientī | barbā tenus sapientibus |
| accusative | barbā tenus sapientem | barbā tenus sapientēs |
| ablative | barbā tenus sapiente | barbā tenus sapientibus |
| vocative | barbā tenus sapiēns | barbā tenus sapientēs |
Origins
From barbā (“beard”, abl.sg.) + tenus (“as far as”, postp.) sapiēns (“discerning, wise”, adj.), i.e. 'wise only as far as the beard, merely cultivating an appearance of wisdom'. From Erasmus' Adagia, translating Ancient Greek ἐκ πώγωνος σοφοί, καὶ ἀπὸ πώγωνος φιλόσοφοι (ek pṓgōnos sophoí, kaì apò pṓgōnos philósophoi), part of a rich earlier tradition of similar sayings in reference to the beard conferring the image of a philosopher, specifically a Stoic one. Cf. sapientem pāscere barbam (“to grow a beard of wisdom”) (Horace), barba nōn facit philosophum (“a beard doesn't make you a philosopher”).