agricultio

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [a.ɡrɪˈkʊɫ.ti.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [a.ɡriˈkul.t͡si.o]^[1]

Forms

agricultiō f (genitive agricultiōnis); third declension^[1] Lewis & Short prefer to write it as two words, agrī cultiō.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from ager “field” and cultiō “cultivation”, from colō (“to till”).^[4][2][3] De Vaan traces ⟨ager⟩ to Proto-Italic *agro- (“field”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-ro- (“uncultivated field, pasture”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It occurs only twice, in Cicero's Verrines and Cato maior.^[2][3] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.^[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant husbandry, agriculture, as in Cicero's sī agrī cultiōnem sustuleris “if you abolish agriculture”.^[2][3]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.^[2][6]

Meanings

Noun

1. Husbandry, agriculture.^[2][3]

Related words

• agricultūra
• cultiō
• ager
• colō

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
4. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de