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concerto

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word concerto

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
190–159 BC, Terence
Ultimate origin
Latin certō#1
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin cerno
Latin certo
Latin concerto
Italian concerto
French concert
English concert
German Konzert
From the same root
Latin crimen ← cerno
Latin discerno ← cerno
Latin incerno ← cerno
Latin certamen ← certo

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [kɔŋˈkɛr.toː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [kon̠ʲˈt͡ʃɛr.to][1]

Forms

concertō (present infinitive concertāre, perfect active concertāvī, supine concertātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin con- + certō1 (“to contend”).[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Terence,[3] of quarrelling with someone: te audio nescio quid concertasse cum ero “I hear you had some dispute with my master”.[3][4]

Semantic evolution

In Classical Latin it means to contend or fight, and to dispute in words.[2][5] Cicero uses it of Hercules contending with Apollo for the tripod, and of a general who fought the enemy more often than others quarrelled with a personal foe;[2][3][4] Caesar of joining battle.[2][3][4] Columella has birds vying in speed of swimming, and Manilius dining rooms vying with temples.[4][6] Medieval writers used it for fighting in a duel or in war, for the struggle of martyrs, and for debate; in Hungarian sources it also means to go to law.[7][8]

The modern sense of agreement comes from Italian concertare “to bring into agreement”, which Etymonline derives, apparently, from this verb;[9] English concert comes from it.[9] VOLI warns that the Latin verb should not be translated with Italian concertare.[10]

Timeline

  • 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of a dispute with a master.[3][11]
  • c. 50 BC – Caesar uses it of joining battle.[3][11]
  • 1st century AD – Columella uses it of birds vying in swimming.[4][11]
  • 1660s – English concert is borrowed from French, from Italian, apparently from this verb.[9]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To contend, fight; to vie with.[2][5]
  2. To contend in words, dispute, debate;[2][6] (transitive) to argue over.[2][6]
  3. (Medieval Latin) To fight (in a duel or war); (of martyrs) to struggle, suffer.[7]
  4. (Medieval Latin, law) To go to law, litigate.[8]

Word family

  • concertātōrius

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. ^ a b c d e f g Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c d e Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  5. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  6. ^ a b c Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  7. ^ a b Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  8. ^ a b Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
  9. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  10. ^ Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier
  11. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de

Borrowed into

Cite this entry

“Concerto.” Etymologically, 23 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/concerto. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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