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ablego

Etymology and origin of the Latin word ablego

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (lēx)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin lego
Latin praelego
Latin deligo
Latin delego
Latin ablego
Latin eligo
Latin collega

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [abˈɫeː.ɡoː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [abˈlɛː.ɡo][1]

Forms

ablēgō (present infinitive ablēgāre, perfect active ablēgāvī, supine ablēgātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin ab- (“away from”) + lēgō (“to send, depute”).[2][1] ⟨lēgō⟩ is from lēx (“law”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *lēg-; he dates ⟨ablēgāre⟩ “to send away on a mission” from Plautus.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, aliquem forās ablēgāre “to send someone out of the house”.[2][4] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to send away on a mission or errand, as in Plautus, and to send away, banish, get rid of, as in Varro and Cicero, who has ā frātris adventū ablēgāre “to keep someone away from his brother's arrival”.[2][6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to send off or away, remove.[7] English ablegate and Portuguese ablegar are from it.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.[2][5]
  • 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of banishing.[2][5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To send away on a mission.[2]
  2. To send away, banish, get rid of.[2]

Word family

  • ablēgātiō
  • ablegmina
  • ablegmen

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  4. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Cite this entry

“Ablego.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/ablego. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·