Etymologically
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contingo

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [kɔnˈtɪŋ.ɡoː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [konˈtiŋ.ɡo][1]

Forms

contingō (present infinitive contingere, perfect active contigī, supine contāctum); third conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from con- and tangō “to touch”, with the vowel weakened to ⟨i⟩.[2][1][3] The sense “to colour, moisten” was apparently influenced by tingō “to dip, dye”.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citations are from Plautus, of touching something.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to touch, come into contact with, as Virgil's rope touched with the hand, and to border on, as in Cato, also to be connected to a person by kinship or friendship, as in Horace.[2][5] It meant to reach, arrive at, as in Cicero, to attain, and to touch on a subject in passing.[2] It meant to touch so as to affect, to colour or sprinkle, as in Lucretius and Virgil, to infect with disease or moral taint, and to move or concern.[2][3]

Intransitively it meant to fall to one's lot, happen, be granted, as in Ennius, and impersonally contingit “it happens”, as in Plautus.[2] Döderlein says contingere is used mostly of fortunate events, while accidō covers unexpected ones.[6]

English contingent comes from its participle contingēns in the late 14th century, English contact from contāctus in the 1620s, and English contagion from contāgiō.[7]

Timeline

  • 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of what falls to one's lot.[2][4]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of touching and impersonally.[2][4]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of bordering on.[2][4]
  • late 14th century – English contingent is recorded.[7]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To touch, come into contact with.[2]
  2. To border on; to be related to.[2]
  3. To reach, arrive at; to attain.[2]
  4. To touch on (a subject).[2]
  5. To colour, sprinkle; to infect.[2]
  6. To affect, move; to concern.[2]
  7. (intransitive) To fall to one's lot, happen.[2]

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  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. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com