Etymologically
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amo

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈa.moː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈaː.mo][1]

Forms

amō (present infinitive amāre, perfect active amāvī, supine amātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *ama- (“to take, hold”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₃mh₃- (“to take hold of”).[2][1] The meaning would have moved from “to take someone's hand” to “to regard as a friend”.[2] Schrijver argues from its stative meaning and the noun amor that it was once a stative verb.[2][1] The OLD calls the origin doubtful.[3]

Cognate with Marrucinian amatens (“they have received”),[2] Old Irish námae (“enemy”) and Ancient Greek ὄμνυμι (ómnumi, “to swear”).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Naevius onwards,[2] whose character says “I don't want to love her so desperately”.[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant to love or be in love, and also to make love or to caress.[3] It covered affection for family and friends, and regard for public men, as in Ennius' “the good orator is scorned, the rough soldier loved”.[3] Gods were said to love, that is, to favour, people.[3]

It also meant to enjoy something or delight in it, and amo te was a way of saying “thank you”, as in Plautus and Cicero.[3] Amabo, “I shall love you”, meant “please”.[1] In poetry and later prose things were said to “like” certain conditions, and with an infinitive it meant to be wont to do something.[3] It survives as Italian amare, French aimer, and Spanish and Portuguese amar.[1] English amateur came in 1784 from French, from its agent noun amator.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it for loving and caressing.[3][5]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses amo te for thanks.[3][5]
  • 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it for popular regard.[3][5]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace uses it with an infinitive, “to be wont to”.[3][5]
  • 1784 – English takes amateur from French.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To love, be in love (with).[3][6]
  2. To make love (to); to caress.[3][1]
  3. To be fond of, have affection for.[3][1]
  4. To esteem, support (a public figure).[3]
  5. (of gods) To favour.[3]
  6. To enjoy, delight in.[3][1]
  7. To be grateful to, amo te thank you.[3][1]
  8. (with infinitive) To be wont to.[3][1]

Word family

  • adamō
  • amābilis
  • amasco
  • amāsiō
  • amāsius
  • amātiō
  • amātor
  • amātrīx
  • amaturio
  • amātus
  • amīcus
  • amor
  • amātōriē
  • amīca
  • amīcē
  • amīcitia
  • amīcula
  • amīculus
  • amoenus
  • English amateur
  • English amorous
  • English amiable

Usage notes

Georges notes that amare is love from inclination or passion, while diligere is love from esteem, and Cicero can say of someone that he is “not only esteemed but loved”.[7] Döderlein makes the same distinction.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  8. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper