Latin

Alternative forms

• adfābilitās

Noun

affābilitās f ‎(genitive affābilitātis); third declension

1. Affability, courtesy, kindness.
   • c. 27 CE – 66 CE, Petronius, Satyricon 61

     Niceros delectatus affabilitate amici: "Omne me, inquit, lucrum transeat, nisi iam dudum gaudimonio dissilio, quod te talem video. Itaque hilaria mera sint, etsi timeo istos scolasticos ne me rideant. Viderint: narrabo tamen, quid enim mihi aufert, qui ridet? satius est rideri quam derideri."

     Niceros was delighted by his friend's amiability and said, “May I never turn another penny if I am not ready to burst with joy at seeing you in such a good humour. Well, it shall be pure fun then, though I am afraid your clever friends will laugh at me. Still, let them; I will tell my story; what harm does a man's laugh do me? Being laughed at is more satisfactory than being sneered at.”

Inflection

Third declension.

Related terms

Descendants

References

• affabilitas in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• AFFABILITAS in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• Félix Gaffiot (1934), “affabilitas”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.