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affingo

Etymology and origin of the Latin word affingo

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
Lucretius
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*dʰeyǵʰ-)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin fingo
English feint
Latin confingo
Latin affingo

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [afˈfɪŋ.ɡoː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [afˈfiŋ.ɡo][1]

Forms

affingō (present infinitive affingere, perfect active affīnxī, supine affictum); third conjugation[1] Also spelled adfingō.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin ad- (“to”) + fingō (“to shape, invent”).[2][1] De Vaan traces ⟨fingō⟩ to Proto-Italic *finge/o- (“to knead, form”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰi-n-ǵʰ-.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Among the OLD's earliest citations are Lucretius and Varro.[2] Köbler dates Lucretius 96–55 BC and Varro 116–27 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to make and add, attach, add by way of embellishment, as in Varro; to connect, associate with, as in Cicero; to make false additions to a report, embellish, as in Cicero's affingere et addere; to attribute or impute unsuitably, as in Cicero; and in Apuleius to simulate, counterfeit, forge a letter.[2][3]

Timeline

  • 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of adding.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of embellishing a report.[2][5]
  • c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius uses it of forging.[2][5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To make and add, attach.[2]
  2. To connect, associate.[2]
  3. To add falsely, embellish (a report).[2]
  4. To impute, attribute.[2]
  5. To simulate; to forge (a letter).[2]

Word family

  • afficticius
  • adfictus
  • affictus

References

  1. ^ a b c d 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 Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ 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 c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
Cite this entry

“Affingo.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/affingo. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·