-sco

Forms

-scō (present infinitive -scere); third conjugation, normally present system only^[1]

Etymology

The suffix is inherited from Proto-Italic *-skō, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti.^[2][1] Fortson writes the parent suffix *-sk̑é/ó-, accented and thematic, added to the zero grade of the root.^[3]

Compare Ancient Greek βάσκω (báskō) and Sanskrit गच्छति (gácchati),^[1] and poscō, from *pr̥(k)-sko, with पृच्छति (pr̥ccháti) “asks”.^[1] In other branches it has other functions: it makes causatives in Tocharian and iteratives in Ionic Greek and Anatolian.^[4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Archaic Latin has escit, “there is”, in the Twelve Tables.^[4][3] Plautus already has nōscō “get to know”, in the Aulularia, and poscō “demand”, in the Rudens.^[1]

Semantic evolution

The Latin verbs created with it within the language are inchoative and intransitive.^[4] It was productive on stative verbs, as -ēscō in augēscō “begin to increase”, from augeō, sometimes without an intermediate verb, as macerēscō.^[4] From verbal bases it gave hiāscō and lūcēscō, and deponents such as adipīscor and oblīvīscor.^[1] In poscō it extended to the perfect.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus has nōscō, poscō and obdūrēscō.^[1][4][5]
• 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid has lūcēscō of the day growing light.^[1][5]

Meanings

Suffix

1. Forms inchoative verbs, “begin to …”, from verbal bases: hiāscō, lūcēscō.^[1][2]
2. In inherited verbs, with no such force: crēscō, discō, nōscō.^[1]

Word family

• crēscō
• discō
• nōscō
• poscō
• hiāscō
• lūcēscō
• adipīscor
• oblīvīscor
• augēscō
• obdūrēscō
• pāscō
• suēscō
• proficīscor

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
3. ^ a b c Fortson, Benjamin W., IV (2010), Indo-European Language and Culture: An Introduction, 2nd ed., Malden, MA / Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell
4. ^ a b c d e Weiss, Michael (2020), Outline of the Historical and Comparative Grammar of Latin, 2nd ed., Ann Arbor: Beech Stave
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de