curro

Pronunciation

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

Forms

currō (present infinitive currere, perfect active cucurrī or currī, supine cursum); third conjugation^[1] An older perfect cecurri is recorded by Gellius and in an inscription.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *korse/o- (“to run”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥s-e/o- (“to run”), from the root *ḱers- (“to run”).^[3][1] The perfect cucurrī was assimilated from an older cecurrī, and currus “chariot” comes from *korso- “running”.^[3]

Cognate with Old Irish carr (“wagon”) and with the Gaulish word that Latin borrowed as carrus “wagon”,^[3][2] with Ancient Greek ἐπίκουρος (epíkouros, “helper”),^[3] and probably with English horse.^[3][2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Naevius onwards,^[3] who uses it for sailing.^[2] In Plautus a slave asks himself, “why don't I run home at full speed?”^[2]

Semantic evolution

It meant to run, on foot, on horseback or by ship, and to hurry, as in Cicero's “if you are walking, run; if running, fly”.^[2][4] Things moved swiftly, as a wheel, speech and verse ran smoothly, and time ran on, as in Horace.^[2] Lines and objects were said to run or extend, and periods of time and legal conditions to run.^[2]

With an object it meant to run a race or cross a space.^[1] In music it described a quick passage.^[5] From it come cursus “a course” and curriculum “a race”.^[3] It survives as Italian correre, Spanish and Portuguese correr and Romanian curge “to flow”.^[1] English current, course and courier came through Old French.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it of ships.^[2][7]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it for running home.^[2][7]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of lines that extend.^[2][7]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it for hurrying.^[4][7]
• 65–8 BC – Horace uses it of time and of speech.^[2][7]
• c. 1300 – English current and course are first recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To run.^[2][8]
2. To hurry, hasten.^[2][1]
3. To travel fast (by sea, by chariot).^[2][1]
4. (of things) To move swiftly, (of speech) to run smoothly.^[2]
5. (of time) To pass quickly.^[2]
6. To extend, run.^[2]
7. To continue, be in force.^[2]
8. (with accusative) To run (a race); to traverse.^[1]

Word family

• accurrō
• antecurrō
• circumcurrō
• concurrō
• currāx
• currus
• cursim
• cursiō
• cursō
• cursor
• cursōrius
• cursūra

Related words

• cursus
• curriculum
• English current
• English course
• English courier

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 r s Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ Lexicon musicum Latinum medii aevi (1992–), Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften; online ed. Wörterbuchnetz
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
8. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press