circummitto

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [kɪr.kʊmˈmɪt.toː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [t͡ʃir.kumˈmit.to]^[1]

Forms

circummittō (present infinitive circummittere, perfect active circummīsī, supine circummissum); third conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin circum- (“around”) + mittō (“to send”).^[2][1] De Vaan traces ⟨mittō⟩ to Proto-Italic *meit-e/o-, from Proto-Indo-European *m(e)ith₂- (“to exchange, remove”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Caesar, lēgātiōnēs in omnēs partēs circummittere “to send embassies in every direction”.^[2][4] Köbler dates Caesar c. 50 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to send round, or to different parts, embassies or messengers, as in Caesar, and to send round by a roundabout way, to outflank, as in Livy, where Perseus is sent round with a small force.^[2][4][6]

Timeline

• c. 50 BC – Caesar uses it.^[2][5]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of outflanking.^[2][5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To send round, to different parts.^[2]
2. To send round by a roundabout route, to outflank.^[2]

Related words

• mittō

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g 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 Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.