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aspicio

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [asˈpɪ.ki.oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [asˈpiː.t͡ʃi.o][1]

Forms

aspiciō (present infinitive aspicere, perfect active aspexī, supine aspectum); third (-iō variant) conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from ad- (“at”) and speciō “to look”.[2][1][3] Plautus has the old perfect subjunctive ⟨aspexit⟩.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citation is Naevius, of catching sight of something.[2] Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to catch sight of, notice, observe, as in Naevius, Plautus and Ennius, and to look at, gaze upon, inspect, as Cicero's “look at him, observe his face”.[2][6] It meant to have sight, lūcem aspicere “to see the light, be alive”, to visit, to witness an event, and after a negative to have the least experience of something.[2] It meant to look someone in the face, of places to face or overlook, and mentally to see, consider, regard with favour or respect.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to look at, regard, behold.[7] Italian aspettare “to wait” is a borrowing.[1] English aspect comes from its noun aspectus in the late 14th century, first as an astrological term.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it of catching sight.[2][5]
  • 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of looking at.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of looking someone in the face.[2][6][5]
  • late 14th century – English aspect is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To catch sight of, notice.[2]
  2. To look at, behold; to inspect.[2]
  3. lūcem aspicere, to be alive.[2]
  4. To witness; to experience.[2]
  5. To look in the face, (of places) to face.[2]
  6. To perceive; to consider; to regard (with favour).[2]

Word family

  • aspectiō
  • aspectus
  • circumaspiciō
  • inaspectus
  • inaspicuus
  • aspectō

References

  1. ^ a b c d e 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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson