Etymologically
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cunctor

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈkuːŋk.tɔr][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkuŋk.tor][1]

Forms

cūnctor (present infinitive cūnctārī or cūnctārier, perfect active cūnctātus sum); first conjugation, deponent, impersonal in the passive[1]

Etymology

It is probably a frequentative from an earlier *cuncitā-, from a stem *konk- “to hang”, Proto-Indo-European *ḱonk-(e)ie- (“to hang”), with a shift from “be suspended” to “hesitate”.[2][1] Cognate with Hittite 𒅗𒀭𒆪 (kank-, “to hang, weigh”), Sanskrit शङ्कते (śáṅkate, “is afraid, doubts”) and Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽 (hāhan, “to leave in uncertainty”).[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus, who has the active form cūnctō: “you are loitering here while others are busy inside”.[2][3] Ennius and Accius also have the active.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to be slow in taking action, to delay or hang back, to linger in a place, to move slowly, as Lucretius' sluggish olive oil, and to hesitate in deciding.[3] Livy says Fabius waged war by delaying, cūnctandō, which made him Cūnctātor “the Delayer”, and Ennius' line ūnus homō nōbīs cūnctandō restituit rem “one man restored our state by delaying” became famous.[6][3]

Döderlein says cūnctārī is delay from deliberation, haesitāre from lack of resolution and cessāre from lack of energy.[7] English cunctator “a delayer” was taken from it in the 1650s.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses the active cūnctō.[3][5]
  • 204–169 BC – Ennius praises the man who restored the state by delaying.[3][5]
  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius speaks of slow-moving olive oil.[3][5]
  • 59 BC–17 AD – Livy says Fabius made war by delaying.[6][5]
  • 1650s – English cunctator is recorded.[8]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To delay, hang back.[3]
  2. To linger, tarry (in a place).[3]
  3. To move slowly, dawdle.[3]
  4. To hesitate, doubt.[3]

Word family

  • cūnctābundus
  • cūnctāmen
  • cūnctāns
  • cūnctanter
  • cūnctātiō
  • cūnctātor
  • haesitō
  • cessō
  • English cunctator

Usage notes

Döderlein distinguishes cūnctārī (to delay from deliberation), haesitāre (from irresolution), cessāre (from want of energy) and morārī (to stop, delay).[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ a b Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com