cantio

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈkan.ti.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkan.t͡si.o]^[1]

Forms

cantiō f (genitive cantiōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin canō (“to sing”) + -tiō.^[2][1] De Vaan traces ⟨canō⟩ to Proto-Italic *kan-e-, from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂n-e- (“to sing”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of singing.^[2][4] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant singing, a song, rare and mostly ante-classical according to Lewis & Short, as in Plautus; and a magical incantation, a charm, as in Cato and Cicero.^[2][5][6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant a song.^[7] British Medieval Latin used it for church singing, chanting, and for reciting numbers in counting.^[8] It is the source of Italian canzone, French chanson, Catalan cançó and Portuguese canção.^[1][4]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of song.^[2][4]
• 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of a magic charm.^[2][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. Singing, a song.^[2]
2. A magical incantation, charm.^[2]
3. (Medieval Latin) Church singing, chanting.^[8]

Word family

• cantiuncula
• cantiōnālis

Related words

• canō
• cantus
• cantō
• carmen

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
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
8. ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press