Etymologically
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censeo

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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

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.