Etymologically
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agito

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈa.ɡɪ.toː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈaː.d͡ʒi.to][1]

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

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