Etymologically
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deludo

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [deːˈɫuː.doː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [deˈluː.do][1]

Forms

dēlūdō (present infinitive dēlūdere, perfect active dēlūsī, supine dēlūsum); third conjugation[1] Terence has the archaic passive infinitive dēlūdier.[2]

Etymology

It is from Latin dē- + lūdō (“to play”).[3][1][4] De Vaan traces lūdō to Proto-Italic *loid-e/o- (“to play”) and Proto-Indo-European *loid- (“to let go frequently, play”).[5] Cognate with Lithuanian léisti (“to let”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first example is in Plautus: “what he gives, he doesn't give”, he plays false.[3]

Semantic evolution

It means to make game of, play false, deceive or dupe;[3][2] Lewis & Short call it rare but classical.[3][2] Terence uses it of tricks played on someone, and Cicero asks the people whether they will let themselves be fooled any longer by a tribune.[2] Varro, quoted by Pliny the Elder, uses it of gladiators who have played out their bout.[3] Church Latin glosses it to mock, delude, cheat.[6] English delude dates from about 1400.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of a man who plays false.[3][7]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence of being tricked.[2][7]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of a people deceived by a tribune.[2][7]
  • c. 1400 – Borrowed into English as delude.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To make game of, deceive, dupe, mock.[3][2][6][1]
  2. To play through, finish a bout.[3]

Word family

  • dēlūsiō
  • delusor

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de