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concido

Etymology and origin of the Latin word concido

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concido1 to fall down

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
Ennius
Ultimate origin
Latin (cadō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈkɔŋ.kɪ.doː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkɔn̠ʲ.t͡ʃi.do][1]

Forms

concidō (present infinitive concidere, perfect active concidī); third conjugation, no passive, no supine stem[1]

Etymology

This verb is from con- and cadō “to fall”.[2][1][3] De Vaan finds the origin of ⟨cadō⟩ uncertain, perhaps Proto-Indo-European ⟨*ḱh₂d-⟩ “to fall”.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Ennius, of people falling.[2] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to fall down, collapse, especially in death, as in Ennius, and of buildings and trees to fall in ruins, as in Cicero.[2] Cicero also used it for losing power, being overthrown, and for failing, giving out; in Seneca cities fall, and in Horace winds drop and anger subsides.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to fall down, to be disheartened.[6]

Timeline

  • 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of collapse and defeat.[2][5]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace uses it of winds dropping.[2][5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To fall down, collapse.[2]
  2. To be overthrown; to fall (of cities).[2]
  3. To fail, give way.[2]
  4. To subside.[2]

concido2 to cut up

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
Cato
Ultimate origin
Latin (caedō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [kɔŋˈkiː.doː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [kon̠ʲˈt͡ʃiː.do][1]

Forms

concīdō (present infinitive concīdere, perfect active concīdī, supine concīsum); third conjugation[1]

Etymology

This verb is from con- and caedō “to cut, strike”, with the vowel changed to /iː/.[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Cato, of chopping up.[2] Köbler dates Cato 234–149 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to cut or chop up, as in Cato, and in Cicero to cut down, slaughter, to beat, thrash, to crush a person's power, and to split up ideas or sentences.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to cut to pieces, kill, strike down.[6] Its participle concīsus “cut short” gave English concise in the 1580s.[7]

Timeline

  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of chopping.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of slaughter.[2][5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To cut up, chop.[2]
  2. To cut down, slaughter.[2]
  3. To beat; to crush.[2]
  4. To break up (sentences).[2]

Word family

  • concīsē
  • concīsiō
  • concīsor
  • concīsōrius
  • concīsūra
  • concīsus

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t 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 e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Concido.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/concido. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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