coerceo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [koˈɛr.ke.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [koˈɛr.t͡ʃe.o]^[1]

Forms

coërceō (present infinitive coërcēre, perfect active coërcuī, supine coërcitum); second conjugation^[1] Also spelled with coherc-.^[2]

Etymology

It is from Latin con- + arceō (“to enclose, keep off”).^[2][3][1] De Vaan reconstructs ⟨arceō⟩ as Proto-Italic *ark-eje/o- (“to contain, keep out”), Proto-Indo-European *h₂(o)rḱ-éye/o- (“to hold”), cognate with Oscan ⟨tríbarakavúm⟩ “to build” and Ancient Greek ἀρκέω (arkéō, “to ward off”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation for restraining is Varro.^[2] Köbler dates Varro 116–27 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to enclose wholly, confine, as of the world holding all things in Cicero and of natural features bounding a place in Lucretius; to restrict growth, prune, as in Celsus; to limit; to keep in order; to control, check, restrain, as in Varro; and of a magistrate to inflict summary punishment, as in Cicero.^[2][6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it means to check, restrain, prune, enclose.^[7] English coerce (mid-15th century) is from it through Old French.^[8]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of restraint.^[2][5]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of enclosing.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of a magistrate's punishment.^[2][5]
• mid-15th century – English coerce is recorded.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To enclose, confine, shut in.^[2][9]
2. To restrict, prune.^[2][7]
3. To keep in order, control, restrain.^[2]
4. To punish summarily.^[2]

Word family

• coërcitiō
• coercitor
• incoercitus
• coërcitus

Related words

• abarceō
• aberceō
• arceō
• exerceō
• English coerce

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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c d 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.
7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
9. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press