aedifico

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ae̯ˈdɪ.fɪ.koː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [eˈdiː.fi.ko]^[1]

Forms

aedificō (present infinitive aedificāre, perfect active aedificāvī, supine aedificātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from aedēs “building, temple” and the verbal element -ficō, from faciō “to make”.^[2][1][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citations are from Plautus, of building houses and ships.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to put up a building, build, construct houses, rooms and towns, and to rebuild, as in Cicero.^[2][4] It meant to build roads and gardens, as in Varro, ships, as in Plautus, and of God to create the world, as in Cicero.^[2] It also meant to build over a site and to use as building material.^[2]

In Christian Latin it meant to edify, instruct, build up in faith.^[6] It survives in Portuguese eiviguar, and French édifier and Spanish edificar are borrowings.^[1] English edify came in the mid-14th century, first meaning “to build” and figuratively “to build up morally”, and English edifice comes from aedificium “building”.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of building houses and ships.^[2][5]
• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of roads and gardens.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of God creating the world.^[2][5]
• mid-14th century – English edify is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To build, construct.^[2]
2. To rebuild.^[2]
3. To make, create.^[2]
4. To build over (a site).^[2]
5. (Christian Latin) To edify, instruct.^[6]

Word family

• aedificātiō
• aedificātor
• aedificium
• coaedificō
• exaedificō
• inaedificō
• peraedificō
• proaedificātus
• reaedificō
• superaedificō
• aedificātōrius
• circumaedificō

Related words

• aedēs
• aedicula
• aedificātiuncula
• aedīlātus
• aedīlīcius
• aedīlis
• aedīlitās
• aeditua
• aedituālis
• aedituus
• faciō
• English edify
• English edifice

References

1. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com