collabor

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [kɔlˈlaː.bɔr]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [kolˈlaː.bor]^[1]

Forms

collābor (present infinitive collābī, perfect active collāpsus sum); third conjugation, deponent^[1] It is also spelled conlābor, and an inscription has conlabsum.^[2]

Etymology

It is from con- “together” and lābor “to slip, fall”.^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Plautus, of slipping off to meet someone.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

In Plautus it meant to slip off to meet someone, and later to fall in ruins, collapse, as of buildings in Livy.^[2][5] In Virgil people fall down from exhaustion or wounds, and in Seneca the mind gives way and power and fortune collapse.^[2] Gaffiot cites collābī ante pedēs “to collapse at someone's feet”.^[6]

Its participle collāpsus gave English collapse in 1732, “to fall together through loss of support”.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[2][4]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of people falling.^[2][4]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of buildings.^[2][4]
• 1732 – English collapse is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To fall in ruins, collapse.^[2]
2. To fall down (from exhaustion).^[2]
3. To give way, fail.^[2]

Word family

• collapsio

Related words

• lābor
• lāpsus
• English collapse

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. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.