argumentor

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ar.ɡuːˈmɛn.tɔr]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ar.ɡuˈmɛn.tor]^[1]

Forms

argūmentor (present infinitive argūmentārī, perfect active argūmentātus sum); first conjugation, deponent^[1]

Etymology

It is from argūmentum “proof, argument” with the verb suffix -ō; ⟨argūmentum⟩ is from arguō “to make clear, prove”.^[2][1] De Vaan traces ⟨arguō⟩ to Proto-Indo-European *h₂erǵ-u- (“white”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from the Rhetorica ad Herennium, of reasoning.^[2] Köbler dates it 86/82 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to adduce arguments, reason, argue, as in Cicero's quid ego argūmentor?; with an accusative, to adduce something as an argument, as in Cicero, or to prove by argument, as in Seneca; the perfect participle was also used passively, “proved”.^[2][5][6]

It survives in Italian argomentare and Spanish argumentar.^[1]

Timeline

• 86/82 BC – the Rhetorica ad Herennium uses it.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.^[2][4]
• 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca uses it of proving.^[2][4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To argue, reason.^[2]
2. To adduce as an argument; to prove by argument.^[2]

Word family

• argūmentātiō
• argumentator
• argumentatrix

Related words

• argūmentābilis
• argūmentālis
• argūmentāliter
• argūmentōsus
• argūmentum
• arguō

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ 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 Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press