censeo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈkẽː.se.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈt͡ʃɛn.se.o]^[1]

Forms

cēnseō (present infinitive cēnsēre, perfect active cēnsuī, supine cēnsum); second conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *knsē- (“to estimate”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ḱn̥s-eh₁- or *ḱn̥s-eie-, from the root *ḱens- “to announce”.^[2][1] García-Ramón explains the second conjugation either from a transitive present “estimates” or from a stative “to be estimated”.^[2] Wiktionary calls the etymology disputed, and the OLD and Lewis and Short call it doubtful.^[1][3][4] Cognate with Oscan censaum (“to take the census”) and Oscan keenzstur (“censor”).^[2][5] Faliscan censor may be a loan from Latin.^[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Naevius,^[2] who uses it in his epic for holding the opinion that the Carthaginian would come to meet them.^[3] Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC.^[6]

Semantic evolution

Its senses were to hold or give an opinion, to suppose, and to recommend a course of action, cēnseō alone was a reply meaning “I think so”.^[3] In the senate it was the word for a senator stating his view, asked with quid cēnsēs?, and for the senate's own decree, which was advisory but in practice binding.^[3] In the census it meant to register citizens and assess their property, which is the duty of the cēnsor and the sense behind cēnsus.^[3][2]

Döderlein groups it with iūdicō, arbitror and aestimō, all words for judging, cēnsēre implies the authority of a censor or a senator giving his vote.^[7] From cēnsus and cēnsor come English census and English censor.^[8] It was borrowed into Italian censire.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it of holding an opinion.^[3][6]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus has cēnseō hercle “I think so, by Hercules”.^[3][6]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero quotes the law telling the censors to register ages and property.^[9][6]
• 1530s – English censor is recorded.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To hold or give as one's opinion; to think, suppose.^[3]
2. To recommend, advise, cēnseō, I think so.^[3]
3. (of a senator) To state one's opinion, vote, quid cēnsēs?, what is your view?^[3]
4. (of the senate) To resolve, decree.^[3]
5. (of the censor) To register at a census, assess (property).^[3]
6. To reckon, count (among); to credit with.^[3]

Word family

• accēnseō
• censiō
• cēnsītiō
• censitor
• cēnsor
• cēnsōrius
• censum
• cēnsūra
• cēnsus
• incensitus
• incēnsus
• percēnseō

Related words

• English census
• English censor

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
9. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.