calefacio

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ka.ɫɛˈfa.ki.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ka.leˈfaː.t͡ʃi.o]^[1]

Forms

calefaciō (present infinitive calefacere, perfect active calefēcī, supine calefactum); third (-iō variant) conjugation, suppletive^[1] Also contracted calfaciō and calficiō, and Quintilian discusses the difference between calefaciō and calfaciō.^[2] The passive is cal(e)fīō.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is a compound of caleō “to be warm” and faciō “to make”.^[2][1] De Vaan traces ⟨caleō⟩ to Proto-Italic *kalē-, a stative verb from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlh₁-eh₁- (“to be hot”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of heating.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to make hot, heat, warm, as in Plautus, Lucretius and Cicero; of pungent substances, to produce a sensation of heat in the body, as in Celsus; and figuratively to stir to activity, rouse, as in Cicero's letters, calefac hominem “warm the man up”.^[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to warm.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of rousing.^[2][5]
• 14–37 AD – Celsus uses it in medicine.^[2][5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To make hot, heat, warm.^[2]
2. (of pungent substances) To produce a sensation of heat.^[2]
3. To stir to activity, rouse.^[2]

Word family

• calefactiō
• calefactō
• calefactōrius
• calefactus
• concalefaciō
• excalefaciō
• incalfaciō
• percalefaciō
• praecalfactus
• recalfaciō
• excalfaciō

Related words

• caleō
• faciō
• calor

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ 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 c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson