accessio

Forms

accessiō f (genitive accessiōnis); third declension^[1] It is also spelled adcessiō.^[2]

Etymology

It is from Latin accēdō + -tiō, from the verb “to approach”,^[2][3] a compound of ad- (“to”) and cēdō (“to go, withdraw”).^[4] De Vaan reports Lubotsky's derivation of ⟨cēdō⟩ from Proto-Indo-European *ḱiesdʰ- (“to drive away; go away”), cognate with Sanskrit सेधति (sedhati, “to drive, chase away”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus,^[4] who asks “what business have you coming into this council?”.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

It is approaching or coming to, and in medicine the onset or attack of a fever, as in Celsus.^[2] Above all it is the fact of having something added, an increase in size, value or degree, as Cicero's increases of fortune and rank, and accessiōnem facere is to make progress.^[2][1] It is also the thing added, an extra or bonus payment, as in Cato, in law an additional period of possession, in medicine a complication, and an appendage or appurtenance, as Livy's Epirus, always a small appendage of Macedonia.^[2]

Church Latin glosses it “entrance, admission, addition, accession”.^[6] In medieval Latin it is also a mill-race, an appurtenance, and succession.^[7] English accession is from it in the 1580s.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of coming into a council.^[2][3]
• 234–149 BC – Cato of an extra payment.^[2][3]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of increase and progress.^[2][3]
• 14–37 AD – Celsus of an attack of fever.^[2][3]
• 1580s – English accession.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. An approach, coming to.^[2][5][1]
2. An attack, onset of fever.^[2][1]
3. An increase, addition, accession;^[2][1][6] accessiōnem facere, to make progress.^[2][1][6]
4. Something added, an extra, a bonus;^[2] (law) an added period of possession.^[2]
5. An appendage, appurtenance.^[2][7]
6. (Medieval Latin) A mill-race; succession.^[7]

Related words

• accēdō
• cēdō
• accessus

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b c 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 Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com