clepo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈkɫɛ.poː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈklɛː.po]^[1]

Forms

clepō (present infinitive clepere, perfect active clepsī, supine cleptum); third conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *klep-e/o- (“to steal”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *klep-e/o-.^[2][1] Cognate with Oscan kulupu (“of thieves”), Ancient Greek κλέπτω (kléptō, “to steal”), Ancient Greek κλέπτης (kléptēs, “thief”), Gothic 𐌷𐌻𐌹𐍆𐌰𐌽 (hlifan, “to steal”) and Middle Irish cluain (“deceit”).^[2][3][4] Lewis and Short connected clipeus “shield”.^[5] The perfect is clepsī, not *clepī.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to take away secretly, steal, an archaic word, as Plautus' and Lucilius' uses, and Cicero's translation of Aeschylus, clepere dolō “to steal by craft”.^[3][7] It also meant to overhear secretly, as Pacuvius' character who has caught our talk from hiding, and with a reflexive to steal away, hide oneself.^[3] Cicero's laws have the old form clepsit.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[7][6]
• 220–130 BC – Pacuvius uses it of overhearing.^[3][6]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses clepere dolō in a translation of Aeschylus.^[7][6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To steal, take away secretly.^[3]
2. To overhear secretly.^[3]
3. (reflexive) To steal away, hide oneself.^[3]

Word family

• cleptō

Related words

• English kleptomania

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c 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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.