It’s not a coincidence that “senate” and “senile” come from the same Latin root word.
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“It’s not a coincidence that “senate” and “senile” come from the same Latin root word.
Yes, “senis” means “old. Average life span in ancient Rome was far shorter. Possibly/probably the word did not have the extreme connotation of mental “senility” as our perception of the word does, but then again, everything is relative. Probably the connotation was much more one of respect for the wisdom of the elders.
Based on tables and writings from the Roman empire, etc. estimates of average life expectancy for “old men” in the Roman senate (the “senes”) is in the twenties, with a broader estimate age range of Roman emperors at 26-37 years old.
https://www.princeton.edu/~pswpc/pdfs/scheidel/091001.pdf