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accurro

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word accurro

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 250–184 BC, Plautus
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*kr̥s-e/o-)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin curro
French courir
French courant
Latin concurro
Latin transcurro
Latin cursus
English corsair
French cours
Latin discurro
Latin discursus
English discourse
French discours
Latin cursor
Latin excurro
Latin excursio
Latin succurro
Latin recurro
Latin recursus
Latin praecurro
Latin accurro
Latin accursus

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [akˈkʊr.roː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [akˈkur.ro][1]

Forms

accurrō (present infinitive accurrere, perfect active accurrī or accucurrī, supine accursum); third conjugation[1] It is also spelled adcurrō, a spelling Lucilius discusses.[2] The perfect is accurrī or accucurrī.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin ad- + currō (“to run”).[2][1] De Vaan traces currō to Proto-Italic *korse/o- (“to run”) and Proto-Indo-European *kr̥s-e/o- (“to run”).[4] Cognate with Old Irish carr (“vehicle”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus,[4] who has “I run up to find out what he wants”.[2]

Semantic evolution

It means to run or hurry up, especially to help, as Terence's “I can't do it alone: run here!” and Cicero's “be ready to run up if I call”.[2][3] The Bellum Africum uses it of troops charging and falling back with the cavalry, and Statius of rain rushing up with clouds.[2] Church Latin glosses it “run to meet”.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of running up to learn something.[2][4][6]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence of running to help.[2][6]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of running up when called.[3][6]
  • c. 45–96 AD – Statius of rushing rain.[2][6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To run up, hurry to, especially to help.[2][3][5][1]
  2. To rush to the attack, charge.[2][1]
  3. Of things, to rush up.[2]

Word family

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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d 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 Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de

Derived terms

Cite this entry

“Accurro.” Etymologically, 19 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/accurro. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·