curo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈkuː.roː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkuː.ro]^[1]

Forms

cūrō (present infinitive cūrāre, perfect active cūrāvī, supine cūrātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from cūra “care” with the verbal suffix -ō, from Proto-Italic *kʷoizā.^[2][1] The OLD compares Paelignian ⟨coisatens⟩ and Umbrian kuratu.^[2] Inscriptions and Cicero's laws have the old spellings ⟨coerō⟩ and ⟨coirō⟩.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citation is Ennius, of looking after someone.^[2] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to look after, care for, with corpus cūrāre “to refresh oneself”, as in Plautus, to tend plants or animals, as in Cato, and to treat a sick person or wound, as in Plautus, also to cure.^[2] It meant to be in charge, as in Sallust, to see to a task, and with a gerundive to have something done, as in Cicero.^[2] It meant to procure, to pay, and to care about, worry, heed, as Cicero's gods who care for great things and neglect small ones.^[2][5]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to take care of, manage, administer, cure, heal.^[6] It survives in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese curar(e) and Romanian cura.^[1] English curate comes from its Medieval Latin participle cūrātus in the late 14th century, and English scour from Late Latin excūrāre.^[7]

Timeline

• 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of caring for someone.^[2][4]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of treating the sick.^[2][4]
• 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of tending plants.^[2][4]
• late 14th century – English curate is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To look after, care for.^[2]
2. To tend (plants, animals).^[2]
3. To treat (the sick); to cure.^[2]
4. To be in charge; to see to; to have done.^[2]
5. To procure; to pay.^[2]
6. To care about, heed.^[2]

Word family

• accūrō
• concūrō
• cūrābilis
• cūrātiō
• cūrātor
• curatrix
• cūrātūra
• cūritō
• excūrō
• incūrātus
• percūrō
• praecūrō

Related words

• cūra
• cūriōsus
• English cure
• English curate

References

1. ^ a b c d e 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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ 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. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com