decresco

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [deːˈkreːs.koː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [deˈkrɛs.ko]^[1]

Forms

dēcrēscō (present infinitive dēcrēscere, perfect active dēcrēvī, supine dēcrētum); third conjugation, no passive^[1]

Etymology

It is from dē- “down, away” and crēscō “to grow”.^[2][1][3][4] Laevius has the participle ⟨dēcrētum⟩.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Cato, of waning and ebbing.^[2] Köbler dates Cato 234–149 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to grow smaller, dwindle, as in Cicero and Lucretius, of the moon to wane, of tides to ebb, as in Cato, and in Seneca to seem smaller, and in Tibullus to taper.^[2][6] In Martial it meant to decrease in number, of time to grow shorter, and in Juvenal to be subtracted.^[2] In Pliny the Elder it meant to lose vigour, decline, in Plautus of feelings to abate, and in Quintilian of a speech to fall off.^[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to decrease, wane, disappear.^[7] It was borrowed into Italian as decrescere and Spanish decrecer, and Anglo-French decreistre gave English decrease in the early 15th century.^[1][4]

Timeline

• 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of waning and ebbing.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of dwindling.^[2][5]
• 40–102/103 AD – Martial uses it of time growing shorter.^[2][5]
• early 15th century – English decrease is recorded.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To grow smaller, dwindle; to wane, ebb; to taper.^[2]
2. To decrease; to be subtracted.^[2]
3. To decline, weaken; to abate.^[2]

Word family

• dēcrēmentum
• dēcrēscentia

Related words

• crēscō
• English decrease
• English decrement

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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson