agito

Forms

agitō (present infinitive agitāre, perfect active agitāvī, supine agitātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin agō (“to drive, do”) + -itō, with the frequentative suffix.^[2][1][3] agō goes back to Proto-Italic *ag-e/o- (“to do, act”) and Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-e/o- (“to drive, lead”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD cites Plautus: tē … morbus agitat hēpatiārius, “a liver complaint troubles you”.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

Agitāre is “to set in motion, move, stir, shake”, “to drive” horses or a chariot (Lucretius of Cybele's lions), and “to drive before one”, of the wind or a river.^[2][3][1] It is “to hunt”, to scour woods for game.^[2][1] It is “to rouse” the mind or feelings (Cicero), “to exercise, keep busy”, of disease “to trouble”, and “to stir up, provoke, harass”; it is also “to attack with abuse or ridicule”.^[2][1]

It then means “to be busy with, carry on”, “to spend” time or “live” one's life, “to manage” and “tend” flocks.^[2][1] In the mind it is “to turn over, ponder” (sēcum, animō), “to plan, intend”, “to investigate”, and “to discuss” or “urge” a view.^[2][1] Church Latin glosses it “shake, agitate, impel, disturb, excite”.^[6] English agitate (1580s, “to disturb”) comes from its participle.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: morbus agitat hēpatiārius.^[2][5]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius: in currū biiugōs agitāre leōnēs.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of stirring the feelings.^[2][5]
• 1580s – English agitate.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To set in motion, move, stir, shake.^[2][3][1][6]
2. To drive (horses, chariots); to drive before one.^[2][1]
3. To hunt, chase.^[2][1]
4. To rouse, stir, excite; to agitate, disturb, trouble.^[2][1][6]
5. To provoke, harass; to criticize, ridicule.^[2][1]
6. To be busy with, carry on; to spend (time), live.^[2][1]
7. To manage; to tend (flocks).^[2][1]
8. To turn over in the mind, ponder; to plan, intend.^[2][1]
9. To discuss, debate; to urge (a view).^[2][1]

Word family

• agitābilis
• agitātiō
• agitātor
• agitātrīx
• agitātus
• coagitō
• cōgitō
• exagitō
• inagitātus
• obagitō
• peragitō
• subigitō

Related words

• agō
• English agitate

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r 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 q r s Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c 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
6. ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com