constrictio

Forms

cōnstrictiō f (genitive cōnstrictiōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin cōnstringō (“to bind together, tie tightly”) + -tiō, a noun of action.^[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first author in the TLL is Scribonius Largus (about 47 AD), in a recipe;^[3][5] the OLD gives it the sense “compression, constriction”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It was used above all in medical language, of the drawing together of parts of the body.^[3] Palladius says the ties must be cut once the shoot has grown firmer, so that the tender shoot is not choked nōdō dūrae cōnstrictiōnis, “by the knot of a hard binding”.^[3] Veterinary and medical writers use it of the contraction of sinews and of the head, Caelius Aurelianus of the astringent effect of herbs,^[3][6] and Macrobius and others of binding of the bowels.^[7][3][8] Cassian writes that a soldier of Christ is protected cinguli cōnstrictiōne, “by the binding of his belt”.^[3] Figuratively, Augustine uses it for strictness in fasting, as opposed to relaxation, and for conciseness of speech.^[6][9][8]

Medieval Latin used it for harshness and severity, for coercion by a court and judicial power, for an obligation or bond, and for self-restraint.^[10][5] Medical writers kept the senses of contraction, astringency, spasm, constipation, and the stopping of menstruation or of urine.^[11] British sources use it of the narrowing of the pores by cold and of a constraint or restriction;^[12] Polish sources use it of freezing,^[13] and Hungarian ones of putting someone in chains.^[14]

English constriction is from about 1400;^[4] Italian costrizione goes back to it.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 47 AD – Scribonius Largus uses it in a recipe.^[3][5]
• end of the 4th/beginning of the 5th century AD – Palladius uses it of a tie that might choke a young shoot.^[3][5]
• 354–430 AD – Augustine uses it for strictness in fasting.^[6][9][5]
• first half of the 5th century AD – Macrobius uses it of the binding of the bowels.^[7][3][5]
• c. 798 – Alcuin uses it in a letter of a hidden constraint.^[12]
• c. 1400 – English constriction is first recorded.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. Compression, constriction; a binding or drawing together.^[2][7][3][6]
2. (medicine) Contraction of a part of the body; astringent effect.^[3][6][11]
3. (medicine) Binding of the bowels, constipation.^{[7][3][8][11]}
4. (Late Latin, figurative) Strictness, severity; restraint.^{[6][9][8][10]}
5. (Late Latin) Conciseness of speech.^[6][8]
6. (Medieval Latin) Coercion by a court; judicial power.^[10][5]
7. (Medieval Latin) An obligation, bond.^[10]
8. (Medieval Latin) Self-restraint, continence.^[10][5]
9. (Medieval Latin) Condensation; freezing.^[12][13]

Related words

• cōnstrictīvus
• English constriction

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d e f g Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
7. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ 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
9. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
10. ^ a b c d e Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
11. ^ a b c Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
12. ^ a b c Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
13. ^ a b Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
14. ^ Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE