cedo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈkeː.doː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈt͡ʃɛː.do]^[1]

Forms

cēdō (present infinitive cēdere, perfect active cessī, supine cessum); third conjugation^[1]

Etymology

The origin is disputed.^[1] De Vaan follows Lubotsky in taking it as inherited from Proto-Italic *kesd-e/o- (“to go away, avoid”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ḱyesdʰ- (“to drive away; to go away”), cognate with Sanskrit सेधति (sedhati, “drives away”).^[2][1] He takes “to give way, withdraw” as the original sense, kept in cessāre and in necesse, “no avoiding”.^[2] The older explanation as *ke “here” plus a root meaning “to sit” or “to go”, given by the OLD, he finds unconvincing.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Plautus onwards,^[2] who describes a man who “goes sideways, not forwards, like a crab”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

In early Latin it meant to go or proceed, but its usual senses were to withdraw or retire, and of soldiers to give ground, as Ennius' “our men fell back a little”.^[3] Things receded, as Catullus' departing ship, and time passed, as in Cicero's “hours and days and months and years go by”.^[3]

It meant to turn out well or badly, to make way for someone, to be inferior to, and to give in to an enemy; diseases were said to yield to treatment.^[3] With an object it meant to give up or cede something, and things passed into someone's possession.^[3] Italian cedere, French céder and Spanish and Portuguese ceder are borrowings.^[1] English cede dates from the 1630s, and its compounds gave proceed and recede.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it for going.^[3][5]
• 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of soldiers falling back.^[3][5]
• 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus uses it of a ship sailing away.^[3][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of time passing.^[3][5]
• late 14th century – English proceed is first recorded.^[4]
• 1630s – English cede is first recorded.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To go, proceed.^[3][1]
2. To withdraw, go away; to give ground.^[3][6]
3. To recede, (of time) to pass.^[3][1]
4. To turn out (well, badly).^[3][1]
5. To make way (for); to be inferior (to).^[3][1]
6. To yield, give in.^[3][1]
7. To give up, cede, surrender.^[3][1]
8. To fall (to), pass into the possession (of).^[3][1]

Word family

• abscēdō
• accēdō
• antecēdō
• cessīcius
• cessim
• cessiō
• cessō
• cessum
• cessus
• concēdō
• dēcēdō
• discēdō

Related words

• necesse
• English cede
• English proceed
• English recede
• English success

Usage notes

A different word is the imperative cedo, plural cette, “give here!, tell me!”, from *ke “here” and the root of dō “to give”, found from Naevius onwards.^[2][3][1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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 f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press