coagulo

Forms

coāgulō (present infinitive coāgulāre, perfect active coāgulāvī, supine coāgulātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin coāgulum (“rennet, curdled milk”), with the verb ending -ō.^[2][1] De Vaan lists the noun among the derivatives of agō (“to drive”) and takes its long ā to be perhaps analogical.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Varro, quoted by Aulus Gellius, who says that seed thickens in the first seven days,^[2][4] that is, makes a liquid thick or solid.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Its main Classical sense was to curdle milk, which is frequent in Pliny the Elder, who also uses it of water and pitch.^[2][5] In the Bellum Hispaniense it is used of soldiers crowding together near a bridge.^[2][6] An inscription has the contracted perfect ⟨coaglāvī⟩, of a man who always held his friends together.^[2][7]

In Christian Latin Augustine speaks of “curdling” peace, that is, making it firm,^[7][6] and the Vulgate has a “curdled” mountain.^[7] Medieval Latin used it for condensing and congealing in general.^[8] English took it over as coagulate in the early 15th century.^[9]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro, quoted by Aulus Gellius, uses it of seed thickening.^[2][4]
• 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder uses it often of curdling milk.^[2][5][4]
• 354–430 AD – Augustine uses it figuratively of making peace firm.^[7][6][4]
• early 15th century – Borrowed into English as coagulate.^[9]

Meanings

Verb

1. To curdle milk.^[2][5]
2. To make a liquid thick or solid, coagulate.^[2][5]
3. To gather people together;^[2][6] (passive) to crowd together.^[2][6]
4. (figurative) To hold together, make firm.^[7][6]

Word family

• coāgulātiō
• quāglātor

Related words

• English coagulate

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 k l 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. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c d e Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
8. ^ Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com