Etymologically
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accepto

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [akˈkɛp.toː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [atˈt͡ʃɛp.to][1]

Forms

acceptō (present infinitive acceptāre, perfect active acceptāvī, supine acceptātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin accipiō (“to receive”) + -tō, a frequentative.[2][1][3] Accipiō is from ad- and capiō “to take”.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus has a slave who keeps his master's accounts say that he receives money and pays it out.[2][4] Köbler dates Plautus about 250–184 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It differs little in meaning from accipiō; the TLL notes that it was used from Plautus on and became more common in the Christian period.[4] It meant to receive regularly, as payment, of fees taken from pupils in Quintilian, and to be given food in Columella.[2][3] It also meant to receive a name, to submit to a yoke in Silius Italicus, and of ground, to admit of a tunnel in Curtius.[2][6] Manilius uses it of grasping something mentally.[2] In medieval Latin it meant to receive a guest, to obtain, and to approve or recognise.[7] English accept comes from Old French accepter or directly from it in the late 14th century.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of receiving money.[2][5]
  • c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses it of fees received from pupils.[2][5]
  • 25–101 AD – Silius Italicus uses it of submitting to the yoke.[2][5]
  • late 14th century – English accept is recorded.[8]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To receive regularly, take (a payment).[2][1]
  2. To receive, be given (a name).[2]
  3. To submit to, accept (a condition).[2][1]
  4. (of things) To admit of (a procedure).[2]
  5. To grasp mentally, comprehend.[2][1]
  6. (Medieval Latin) To approve, recognise.[7]

Word family

  • acceptābilis
  • acceptātor
  • acceptitō
  • acceptiō
  • acceptor
  • acceptōrius
  • acceptrix
  • acceptus
  • accipiō
  • English accept

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  4. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ a b c d 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 Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com