calo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈka.ɫoː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkaː.lo]^[1]

Forms

calō (present infinitive calāre, supine calātum); first conjugation, no perfect stem^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *kela-, from the root Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- (“to call”).^[2][1] Cognate with Umbrian kařetu (“let him call”), Ancient Greek καλέω (kaléō, “to call”) and Old English geholian (“to obtain”).^[2][3] Schrijver explains the first conjugation from an old athematic present.^[2] clāmō “to shout”, clārus “clear”, classis and concilium are from the same root.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The archaic inscription of the Forum cippus has kalatorem, a herald; in literature de Vaan dates the verb from Varro.^[2] Köbler dates Varro 116–27 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to announce, proclaim, and to summon or convoke, but by the classical period it survived only in technical uses of religion and law.^[3][2] The comitia calāta were assemblies called by the pontiffs, as Labeo explains in Gellius, and Varro and Macrobius say the pontiff called the number of days to the Nones on the first day of the month, which was therefore named kalendae.^[5]

Kalendae gave English calends about 1200, and intercalāre “to proclaim an inserted day” gave English intercalary in the 1610s.^[6]

Timeline

• 6th century BC – The Forum cippus names a kalator, a herald.^[2]
• 116–27 BC – Varro explains the calling of the Kalends.^[5][4]
• c. 165 AD – Gellius quotes Labeo on the comitia calāta.^[5][4]
• 1610s – English intercalary is recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To announce, proclaim.^[3]
2. To summon, convoke (an assembly), comitia calāta, assemblies called by the pontiffs.^[3][5]

Word family

• calātiō
• calātor
• concalō
• intercalō
• kalendae
• procalō

Related words

• clārus
• clāmō
• classis
• concilium
• English calends

Usage notes

Several other words share the spelling: calō, calāre “to let down, lower”, from Ancient Greek χαλάω (khaláō, “to slacken”), whose sense survives in Italian calare, cālō, cālōnis “soldier's servant”, of unknown origin; and cālō “wooden shoe”.^[3][2][5]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d e Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com