consumptio

Forms

cōnsūmptiō f (genitive cōnsūmptiōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from cōnsūmō “to use up” with the suffix -tiō.^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Gaffiot cites the Rhetorica ad Herennium, “use, employment”.^[4] Köbler dates it 86/82 BC; his first source is Cicero.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant use, employment, as in the Rhetorica ad Herennium, and in Cicero's Timaeus a consuming, wasting away.^[4][6][2]

In Medieval Latin it meant exhaustion, destruction.^[7] British Medieval Latin used it for consumption, using up, and decay.^[8] Through Old French it gave English consumption in the late 14th century, first “wasting of the body by disease”.^[3]

Timeline

• 86/82 BC – The Rhetorica ad Herennium uses it.^[4][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of wasting.^[6][5]
• late 14th century – English consumption is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A consuming, wasting away.^[2]
2. Use, employment.^[4]

Related words

• cōnsūmō
• sūmō
• English consumption

References

1. ^ a b 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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
8. ^ 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