actutum

Forms

āctūtum (not comparable)^[1]

Etymology

The TLL calls its origin uncertain.^[2] The OLD derives it from āctus “act”, like ⟨astūtus⟩ from ⟨astū⟩, and Wiktionary gives either the adverbial accusative of an unattested ⟨*āctūtus⟩, or a fusion of ⟨āctū⟩ and tum “then”, as Corssen suggested.^[3][1][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its earliest source is Plautus, and Terence, Livy and Quintilian also use it.^[5][6] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant forthwith, immediately, without delay.^[3][6]

British Medieval Latin used it for immediately, as in Aldhelm.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[5][6]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it.^[6][5]

Meanings

Adverb

1. Forthwith, immediately.^[3]

Related words

• āctus
• agō

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press