alesco

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [aˈɫeːs.koː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [aˈlɛs.ko]^[1]

Forms

alēscō (present infinitive alēscere); third conjugation, no passive, no perfect or supine stems^[1]

Etymology

It is from a lost stative ⟨*aleō⟩ “to be growing up” with the inchoative suffix ⟨-scō⟩, and the OLD derives it from alō “to nourish”.^[1][2] De Vaan notes that ⟨adolēscere⟩ shows an earlier stative ⟨*alēre⟩ “to be growing up”.^[3] De Vaan traces ⟨alō⟩ to Proto-Italic *ale/o- (“to feed”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-e/o-.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its earliest sources are Lucretius and Varro.^[4][5] Köbler dates Lucretius 96–55 BC.^[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to be nourished, grow up, increase, and Lewis & Short call it ante-classical, citing Varro and Lucretius' alēscendī cacūmen “the peak of growth”.^[2][5][4]

Timeline

• 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it.^[4][6]
• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it.^[4][6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To be nourished, grow up, increase.^[2][5]

Word family

• adolēscō
• coalēscō
• cōlescō
• adulēscēns
• alimentārius
• alimentum
• coolēscō

Related words

• alō

References

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