adverb
dumtaxat
dumtaxat (not comparable)
Classical[dʊnˈtak.sat]Ecclesiastical[dunˈtak.sat]
Meaning
- not comparableto this extent
- not comparableinsofar as
- not comparableonly, simply, merely
nec animum dumtaxat vōbīs fidēlem ac bonum praestitit, sed omnibus interfuit bellīs, quae in Graeciā gessistis
and not only was he faithful and friendly toward you, but took part in all of the wars you waged in Greece.59 BCE – 17 CE, Titus Livius, ab urbe condita 37.53.9 - not comparableat least
- not comparableprovided that, as long as
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
modo, nōn ultrādumtaxat — in Epistulae, ch. 12
dumtaxat (less correctly, duntax-at; in ante-Aug. monuments perh. always written separately; often in inscriptions separated by some words: dum ... taxat; cf. also Lex ap. Fest. p. 246, 12 Müll.), adv. dum-taxo; hence, lit., as far as it holds good, extends.
I. To this extent, so far, in so far, as far as this matter is concerned:
sin autem jejunitatem et siccitatem ... dummodo sit polito ... in Attico genere ponit, hoc recte dumtaxat, Cic. Brut. 82, 285: nos animo dumtaxat vigemus, id. Att. 4, 3 fin.: sint ista pulchriora dumtaxat adspectu, id. N. D. 2, 18, 47; id. Div. 2, 43, 90; id. Deiot. 1, 1; Hirt. B. Afr. 90; Dig. 4, 3, 17, § 1: dumtaxat de peculio, as far as relates to the peculium, Edict. Praet. ap. Dig. 15, 2, 1; Dig. 14, 4, 7, § 5.—II. Hence, defining a limit, either as maximum or as minimum, exactly, of the proper measure, which may be not more, or not less.
A. (Not more, i. e.) Only, simply, merely = tantummodo.
1. Esp. in specifying numbers and amounts: MITTANTVR MVLIERES LIBERAE DVMTAXAT QVINQVE, Edict. Praet. ap. Dig. 25, 4, 1, § 10 med.: secum duxerit dum taxat homines IIL. (= duodequinquaginta), Lex. Acil. Repet. 32; Cato, R. R. 49 (quoted in Plin. 17, 22, 35, § 198):
ut consules potestatem haberent tempore dumtaxat annuam, genere ipso ac jure regiam, Cic. Rep. 2, 32; in tmesis: eum quis volet magistratus multare, dum minore parti familiae taxat, liceto, Lex Silia A. U. C. 510, Huschke, Jurisp. Antejust. p. 10.—2. In gen., in other restrictive applications:
dumtaxat, ut hoc promittere possis, etc., Lucr. 3, 378: peditatu dumtaxat procul ad speciem utitur, equites in aciem mittit, * Caes. B. C. 2, 41, 2: Cato enim dumtaxat de magnitudine animi, etc., simply, Cic. Par. ad prooem. 3; id. N. D. 1, 38, 107; 1, 44, 123; id. Ep. ad Brut. 3; id. de Or. 2, 27, 119; Liv. 10, 25; Tac. G. 25; Suet. Caes. 55; 75; Hor. S. 2, 6, 42 et saep.; Curt. 4, 42; 9, 36 al.—3. So, non dumtaxat = non modo:
non rebus dumtaxat, sed etiam moribus, etc., Dig. 26, 7, 12, § 3: non eos dumtaxat, sed omnes, etc., ib. 50, 16, 235; cf.: nec dumtaxat animum vobis fidelem praestitit, sed omnibus interfuit bellis, etc., Liv. 37, 53, 9.—B. (Not less, i. e.) At least = saltem.
1. Like A. 1., esp. in numerical specifications: obsonari dumtaxat ad minam, * Plaut. Truc. 2, 4, 91: cum in testamento scriptum esset, ut heres in funere aut in monumento DVMTAXAT AVREOS CENTVM consumeret, non licet minus consumere, si amplius vellet, licet, Dig. 50, 16, 202:
statim Arpinum irem, ni te in Formiano commodissime exspectari viderem, dumtaxat ad prid. Non. Mai., Cic. Att. 2, 14; cf.: IBI EPVLENTVR DVMTAXAT IN V. ID. IVL., Inscr. Orell. 707.—2. In gen., in other restrictive applications:
valde me Athenae delectarunt: urbs dumtaxat et urbis ornamentum, Cic. Att. 5, 10, 5; cf. id. ib. 2, 18, 2; id. Fam. 12, 1; id. Mil. 2, 5; id. de Or. 1, 58, 249; id. Lael. 15, 53 al.: Cels. 5, 26; Sen. Ben. 5, 2; id. Ep. 58; Quint. 1, 4, 20; 2, 10, 2; Hor. A. P. 23: non tantum virtutes cujusque digne prosecutus, sed vitia quoque et delicta, dumtaxat modica, perpessus, at least, Suet. Aug. 66.—3. In a very few passages dumtaxat approaches so nearly in meaning to dummodo that it may be rendered by a conjunction in Eng., provided that:
qui, cum luxuriose viverent, non reprehenderentur eo nomine dumtaxat cetera caverent, Cic. Fin. 2, 7, 21; cf. Suet. Aug. 66 supra; v. Hand, Turs. II. pp. 330-339.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
dumtaxat or dum taxat (not dunt-), adv
dum + taxo. — Prop., while one examines , hence, to this extent, so far, in so far, as far as this : hoc recte dumtaxat: sint ista pulchriora dum taxat aspectu. — Strictly speaking, precisely, not more, only, simply, merely : cogitans casūs dumtaxat humanos: species dum taxat obicitur quaedam: peditatu dumtaxat ad speciem ntitur, equites, etc., Cs.: sescentos equites dumtaxat scribere, L.— Strictly speaking, at least : in tuo dum taxat periculo: eo nomine dum taxat (i. e. certe): sit quidvis simplex dumtaxat, H.
Origins
From dum (“as, while, during”) + taxat (3rd person singular present active indicative of taxō). Literally, "as one examines", "as one may judge".