barba tenus sapiens

Latin

Alternative forms

• barbatenus sapiens

Etymology

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”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /barˈbaː.te.nus ˈsa.pi.ens/, [bärˈbäːt̪ɛnʊs̠ ˈs̠äpiẽːs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈbar.ba ˈte.nus ˈsa.pi.ens/, [ˈbärbä ˈt̪ɛːnus ˈsäːpiens]

Noun

barbā tenus sapiēns m or f (genitive barbā tenus sapientis); third declension

1. (idiomatic, mildly derogatory) a phoney philosopher, a sophist

Declension

• Indeclinable portion with a third-declension noun.

	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