Etymologically
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adduco

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [adˈduː.koː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [adˈduː.ko][1]

Forms

addūcō (present infinitive addūcere, perfect active addūxī, supine adductum); third conjugation, irregular short imperative[1]

Etymology

It is from ad- (“to”) and dūcō “to lead”.[2][1][3] Dūcō goes back to Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to lead”).[1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citations are from Plautus, of bringing a person or animal to a place.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to lead or bring a person to a place, bring along, to bring water to a town, to import, and in war to bring troops, as in Cicero.[2] In law it meant to bring before a court, prosecute.[2] Of persons it meant to induce, lead into a course, and to persuade, convince, as Cicero's adductus “influenced by”.[2] It also meant to bring into a state or situation, and physically to draw towards oneself, as Cicero's branch, to pull reins taut, to draw back a bowstring, and to draw together, contract, as of a frown.[2][5]

It survives in Italian addurre, Spanish aducir and Romanian aduce “to bring”.[1] English adduce was borrowed in the early 15th century in the sense “to bring forward as evidence”.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of bringing someone.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of persuading and of prosecuting.[2][4]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of drawing a bow.[5][4]
  • early 15th century – English adduce is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To lead, bring (to a place); to bring along.[2]
  2. To bring (troops).[2]
  3. To bring before a court, prosecute.[2]
  4. To induce, lead (into a course of action).[2]
  5. To persuade, convince.[2]
  6. To bring into (a state or situation).[2]
  7. To draw towards oneself; to draw taut.[2]
  8. To draw together, contract.[2]

Word family

  • adductor
  • adductus

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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.