Etymologically
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concilio

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [kɔŋˈkɪ.li.ɔ][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [kon̠ʲˈt͡ʃiː.li.o][1]

Forms

conciliō (present infinitive conciliāre, perfect active conciliāvī, supine conciliātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is formed from concilium (“assembly, meeting”) with the verb suffix -ō.[2][3][4] De Vaan puts ⟨concilium⟩ with calō (“to call, summon”), from Proto-Italic *kela- and Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- (“to call”), cognate with Ancient Greek καλέω (kaléō, “to call”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan gives Plautus as its first author.[5] In the Trinummus a man is told: tūte ad eum adeās, tūte conciliēs, “go to him yourself, win him over yourself”.[2]

Semantic evolution

Its literal sense is to bring together or unite, as Lucretius' atoms joined by their meeting, and to match a woman with a husband, as in Catullus.[2] From that it is to win someone over, to make favourable, and to commend or endear: Ovid's face made pleasing by wit.[2] It is to bring about or obtain, as peace in Terence, to get money by improper means in a law, and to acquire by purchase (Plautus).[2]

Church Latin glosses it “win over, unite, make friendly, procure”.[6] English conciliate (1540s) comes from its participle.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus in the senses “win over” and “acquire”.[5][2][7]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence of bringing about peace.[2][7]
  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius of atoms brought together.[2][7]
  • 1540s – English conciliate.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To bring together, unite, join; to match (in marriage).[2][1][6]
  2. To win over, make favourable; to reconcile.[2][1][6]
  3. To make acceptable, commend, endear.[2][1]
  4. To bring about, procure, obtain; to acquire (by purchase).[2][1][6]

Word family

  • conciliābulum
  • conciliātiō
  • conciliātor
  • conciliātrīx
  • conciliātūra
  • conciliātus
  • dēconciliō
  • inconciliō
  • reconciliō
  • acconciliō

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g 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. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b c d Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de