Etymologically
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carrico

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈkar.rɪ.koː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈkar.ri.ko][1]

Forms

carricō (present infinitive carricāre, perfect active carricāvī, supine carricātum); first conjugation[1] Medieval spellings include carcō, cargō and caricō.[2][1]

Etymology

It is from Latin carrus (“wagon, cart”) + -icō.[1][3][4] The Romance verbs Italian caricare, French charger and Spanish cargar continue it.[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Wiktionary notes that it is first attested in the Lex Salica,[1] where it means to load something onto a cart: si vinum in carro carcaverit “if he has loaded wine onto a cart”.[3][2]

Semantic evolution

From loading a cart it came to mean loading in general, and also carrying or hauling a load: the Visigothic laws speak of a beast of burden dying while carrying bundles, and of yoking another man's ox to haul something.[3][2] The glossaries give its participle as an equivalent of oneratus “loaded”.[3] Medieval writers used it for carting earth and stones, for having wine brought in casks, and, without an object, for riding in a cart.[2] In Hungarian sources it also means “covered, filled”, as of a girdle covered with lice or a face covered with tears.[5]

Through Old French chargier it gave English charge, and through Spanish cargar English cargo.[6]

Timeline

  • 6th century – The Frankish Lex Salica uses it of loading wine onto a cart.[6][3][2]
  • 7th century – The Visigothic laws use it of hauling loads.[7][3]
  • early 13th century – English charge is borrowed from Old French, which got it from this verb.[6]
  • 1650s – English cargo is borrowed from Spanish, also from this verb.[6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (Late Latin) To load onto a cart or wagon.[1][2][4]
  2. (Late Latin) To carry or haul a load.[3][2]
  3. (Medieval Latin) To load, burden; to cover or fill.[2][5]
  4. (Medieval Latin, intransitive) To ride in a cart.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  5. ^ a b Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
  6. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de