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concludo

Etymology and origin of the Latin word concludo

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (claudō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [kɔŋˈkɫuː.doː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [koŋˈkluː.do][1]

Forms

conclūdō (present infinitive conclūdere, perfect active conclūsī, supine conclūsum); third conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from con- and claudō “to shut”, with ⟨au⟩ weakened to ⟨ū⟩.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citations are from Plautus, of shutting up and of blocking a way.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to shut up, confine, as Cicero's animals and stagnant water, to enclose land, to close a passage, to fasten, and to include within limits.[2][5] It meant to restrict, limit, then to bring to an end, finish, as in Cicero.[2] In rhetoric it meant to round off a sentence as a period, and in logic to infer, deduce, conclude, as in Cicero.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to enclose, shut in, conclude.[6] French conclure and Spanish concluir are borrowings.[1] English conclude was borrowed in the early 14th century, and English conclusion comes from conclūsiō.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of shutting up.[2][4]
  • 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of closing in.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of concluding and inferring.[2][4]
  • early 14th century – English conclude is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To shut up, confine; to enclose.[2]
  2. To close, block.[2]
  3. To include; to restrict.[2]
  4. To end, conclude.[2]
  5. (rhetoric) To round off (a period).[2]
  6. To infer, deduce.[2]

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Cite this entry

“Concludo.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/concludo. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·