Etymologically
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annuntio

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [anˈnuːn.ti.oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [anˈnun.t͡si.o][1]

Forms

annūntiō (present infinitive annūntiāre, perfect active annūntiāvī, supine annūntiātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from ad- (“to”) and nūntiō “to report”, from nūntius “messenger, message”: literally “to bring news to”.[2][3] Lewis and Short prefer the spelling ⟨adnuntiō⟩ and reject ⟨annunciō⟩.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lewis and Short cite Pliny the Elder, who reports that someone was announced dead.[3] Köbler dates Pliny the Elder 23/24–79 AD.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to announce, make known, relate, proclaim, and Lewis and Short call it post-Augustan and mostly ecclesiastical, very frequent in the Vulgate.[3] Apuleius uses it, and in the Vulgate it means to declare God's truth, to preach the kingdom of God and the Gospel, and to tell people to repent.[3]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to announce, relate, declare.[5] It survives in French annoncer, Italian annunciare and Spanish anunciar.[1] Through Old French anoncier it is the source of English announce about 1500, and English annunciate comes from the misspelled participle annunciātus in the 1530s.[2]

Timeline

  • 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder uses it of announcing a death.[3][4]
  • c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius uses it.[3][4]
  • 390–406 AD – The Vulgate uses it of preaching.[3][4]
  • c. 1500 – English announce is recorded.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To announce, make known, relate.[3]
  2. (Ecclesiastical Latin) To proclaim, preach.[3][5]
  • nūntius
  • nūntiō
  • English announce
  • English annunciate

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson