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assigno

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [asˈsɪŋ.noː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [asˈsiɲ.ɲo][1]

Forms

assignō (present infinitive assignāre, perfect active assignāvī, supine assignātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from ad- “to” and signō “to mark”, from signum “mark, sign”.[2][1][3] It is also spelled ⟨adsignō⟩, which several editors prefer.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Cicero, of allotting land to colonists.[2] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to allot a portion, especially land to colonists, and to assign, allocate, as Cicero's lower part of a house assigned to someone, and to assign as one's lot, to confer honours.[2][6] In Seneca it meant to entrust to a god's protection and to impute a quality.[2] From the Rhetorica ad Herennium it meant to ascribe, attribute to a person or cause, in Pliny the Elder to reckon in a class and to hand over to someone's keeping, and in Quintilian to seal.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to assign, designate.[7] It survives in Italian assegnare and French assigner, and Old French assigner gave English assign about 1300.[1][3] Late Latin assignāmentum gave English assignment.[1][3]

Timeline

  • 86/82 BC – The Rhetorica ad Herennium uses it of ascribing.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of allotting land.[2][5]
  • c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses it of sealing.[2][5]
  • c. 1300 – English assign is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To allot (land).[2]
  2. To assign; to allot as one's fate; to confer.[2]
  3. To impute; to reckon in a class.[2]
  4. To ascribe, attribute.[2]
  5. To hand over, entrust.[2]
  6. To seal.[2]

Word family

  • assignātiō
  • assignator
  • inassignātus

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f 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 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. ^ 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