Etymologically
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ascisco

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [asˈkiːs.koː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [aʃˈʃis.ko][1]

Forms

ascīscō (present infinitive ascīscere, perfect active ascīvī, supine ascītum); third conjugation[1] It is also spelled adscīscō.[2][3] The perfect is always ascīvī in early and classical Latin, never ascīī.[3]

Etymology

It is formed from ad- (“to”) and scīscō (“to approve, decree”), the inchoative of sciō (“to know”).[2][1] De Vaan derives ⟨sciō⟩ from Proto-Italic *skije- (“to know”), probably a back-formation from nesciō, and connects it, as “to distinguish, decide”, with Proto-Indo-European *skh₁-i- (“to incise”), cognate with Ancient Greek σχάω (skháō, “to slit open”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its earliest examples in the OLD are Lucretius, of men who “take harsh masters”, and Cicero.[2]

Semantic evolution

It is to take a person to oneself as an ally or associate, as Hirtius' exiles from every city, to admit to citizenship or rank, to adopt into a family, to take as a ruler and to engage for pay, as Livy's Lucanian youths hired for money.[2][3] It is also to adopt laws or practices from others, as Cicero's laws “which the Latins wanted, they adopted”, and Ovid uses it of importing food.[2]

It is to approve of a course of action or recognize something as such, and with a reflexive dative to claim for oneself or arrogate, as Cicero's “I have never spoken of myself boastfully to win praise”;[2] Statius has it for bringing a fate on oneself.[2] Church Latin glosses it “receive, approve”.[5]

Timeline

  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius of taking masters.[2][6]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of adopting laws and claiming praise.[2][6]
  • 59 BC–17 AD – Livy of hiring men.[2][6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To take to oneself, admit (as an ally, citizen, member); to adopt; to engage, hire.[2][3][1]
  2. To adopt (a law, practice) from others; to import.[2][1]
  3. To approve of; to recognize as.[2][1][5]
  4. (with reflexive dative) To claim, arrogate to oneself.[2][1]
  5. To bring upon oneself.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de