Etymologically
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ablego

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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