aborior

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [aˈbɔ.ri.ɔr]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [aˈbɔː.ri.or]^[1]

Forms

aborior (present infinitive aborīrī, perfect active abortus sum); fourth conjugation, deponent^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin ab- (“away from”) + orior (“to rise”), the opposite of ⟨orior⟩.^[2][3][1] De Vaan traces ⟨orior⟩ to Proto-Italic *or-i- (“to rise”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃r-i- (“to rise”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Among the OLD's earliest citations are Lucretius and Varro, of passing away.^[2] Köbler dates Lucretius 96–55 BC and Varro 116–27 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

Very rare, it meant to set, disappear, pass away, be lost, as in Varro; of a foetus, to miscarry, be aborted, as in Pliny; and in Lucretius, of the voice, to fail.^[2][6] Etymonline notes that Latin used it for deaths, miscarriages and sunsets alike.^[7]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to disappear, pass away, set, miscarry, fail.^[8] Its participle abortus gave abort (1570s, “to miscarry”).^[7]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it.^[2][5]
• 23/24–79 AD – Pliny uses it of miscarriage.^[2][5]
• 1570s – English abort is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To pass away, disappear, be lost; to set.^[2][3]
2. (of a foetus) To miscarry, be aborted.^[2]

Word family

• aborīscor
• abortiō
• abortium
• abortīvus
• abortō
• abortum
• abortus
• aborsus

Related words

• abortīvum
• orior
• English abort

References

1. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
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. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson