confio

Forms

cōnfīō (present infinitive cōnfierī); irregular, intransitive, serving as a passive of cōnficiō^[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Latin con- + fīō (“to become, be made”),^[1] used as the present beside cōnficiō (“to accomplish, make”), as the simple verb serves beside faciō (“to make”).^[3][4] The simple verb goes back to Proto-Italic *fwije/o- and Proto-Indo-European *bʰh₂u-ie/o- (“to become”).^[3] Cognate with Oscan fiíet and Old Irish biuu (“I am”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan records it from Terence on,^[3] but the OLD also cites Plautus, who uses it of money that is soon spent (confit cito), and Pacuvius, who says that to old age everything seems to get done slowly.^[1][4] Terence has hoc quom confit quod volo, “when what I want is being done”.^[1]

Semantic evolution

Its main sense is “to be done, come about”: Cicero, Caesar, Virgil (qua ratione quod instat confieri possit, how what is pressing can be done), Balbus in a letter to Cicero and Tacitus use it so.^[1][4] It also means to be made or manufactured, as when Columella has the bread made carefully and Pliny the Elder calls all salt made from wood black,^[1][4] and to be produced or brought about, in Lucretius and Columella.^[1][2] Livy uses it of a sum to be made up from gold,^[1][2] Suetonius of daily records being written up and published,^[1] and Columella of a period of time being completed.^[1][2] Arnobius still uses it.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of money that is soon spent.^[1][5]
• 220–130 BC – Pacuvius uses it of things being done.^[1][5]
• 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of a wish being carried out.^[1][5]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of things being produced.^[1][5]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of a sum being made up.^[1][5]
• c. 75–c. 150 AD – Suetonius uses it of records being written up.^[1][5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To be done, be accomplished; to come about, happen.^[1][4]
2. To be made or manufactured.^[1]
3. To be produced or brought about; to be made up (from something).^[1][2]
4. To be recorded in writing.^[1]
5. (of money) To be spent, be used up.^[1][4]
6. (of time) To be completed.^[1][2]

Related words

• cōnficiō
• fīō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
3. ^ a b c d de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e f g Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
5. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de