Etymologically
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circumdo

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [kɪrˈkʊn.doː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [t͡ʃirˈkum.do][1]

Forms

circumdō (present infinitive circumdare, perfect active circumdedī, supine circumdatum); first conjugation, irregular short ă in most forms[1] Also spelled circundō.[2]

Etymology

It is from circum- “around” and dō “to give, put”, and Wiktionary suggests the second part was first ⟨-dō⟩, ⟨-dere⟩ “put”, later remade after ⟨dare⟩.[2][1] De Vaan traces ⟨dō⟩ to Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- (“to give”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of putting something round.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to put or place something round something else, as in Cicero's ligna circumdare “to stack wood all round”; to put on, wrap round the body, as in Plautus; to surround, enclose, encircle, as in Cicero; with the surrounding thing as subject, to encircle, as in Seneca; and to beset with grief or danger.[2][5][6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to go around, encompass, put around.[7] It survives in Italian circondare and Spanish circundar.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of surrounding.[2][4]
  • 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca uses it.[2][4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To put round; to put on.[2]
  2. To surround, encircle, enclose.[2]
  3. To beset.[2]

Word family

  • circumdatiō

References

  1. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson