abstraho
Pronunciation
Forms
abstrahō (present infinitive abstrahere, perfect active abstrāxī, supine abstractum); third conjugation[1] It is also spelled aps-, and Lucretius has the perfect infinitive abstraxe.[2]
Etymology
It is from ab- “away” and trahō “to drag”.[2][1][3]
Earliest recorded meaning
The OLD's earliest citations are from Terence, of dragging away and of freeing.[2] Köbler dates Terence 190–159 BC.[4]
Semantic evolution
It meant to drag away, remove by force, carry off to execution, as in Terence, and to free from a situation.[2] In Livy it meant to take away, appropriate, in Sallust to split into parts, and in Cicero to divert, distract from a course.[2]
In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to drag or draw away.[5] It survives in Italian astrarre, French abstraire and Spanish abstraer, and its participle abstractus “drawn away” gave English abstract in the late 14th century, first in grammar.[1][3]
Timeline
- 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of dragging away.[2][4]
- 86–34 BC – Sallust uses it of splitting.[2][4]
- 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of diverting.[2][4]
- late 14th century – English abstract is recorded.[3]
Meanings
Verb
- To drag away; to carry off.[2]
- To take away, appropriate.[2]
- To free.[2]
- To split; to subtract.[2]
- To divert, distract.[2]
Word family
- abstractiō
- abstractus
Related words
- attrahō
- circumtrahō
- contrahō
- dētrahō
- distrahō
- extrahō
- intertrahō
- intrahō
- obtrahō
- pertrahō
- trahō
- English abstract
References
- ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson