Etymologically
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circumcido

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [kɪr.kʊŋˈkiː.doː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [t͡ʃir.kun̠ʲˈt͡ʃiː.do][1]

Forms

circumcīdō (present infinitive circumcīdere, perfect active circumcīdī, supine circumcīsum); third conjugation[1] Lucretius writes it as two words, circum caesīs.[2]

Etymology

It is from circum- “around” and caedō “to cut”.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Lucretius, who writes it as two words, and Varro.[2] Köbler dates Lucretius 96–55 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to cut round, make an incision round, as in Caesar, and in Celsus to clip.[2] It was originally an agricultural word, as in Cicero's “the farmer's art, which cuts back and prunes”, and Lucretius used it for pruning off, and Varro for curtailing.[5][6][2]

Its participle circumcīsus, in the sense “cut off the foreskin”, gave English circumcise in the mid-13th century, partly through Old French circoncisier.[3]

Timeline

  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of pruning.[2][4]
  • c. 50 BC – Caesar uses it of cutting round.[2][4]
  • mid-13th century – English circumcise is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To cut round.[2]
  2. To clip, prune.[2]
  3. To curtail.[2]
  4. To circumcise.[3]

Word family

  • circumcīdāneus
  • circumcīsīcius
  • circumcīsiō
  • circumcīsor
  • circumcīsūra
  • incircumcīsus
  • circumcīsē
  • circumcīsōrium
  • circumcīsus

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c 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.