demando

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [deːˈman.doː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [deˈman.do]^[1]

Forms

dēmandō (present infinitive dēmandāre, perfect active dēmandāvī, supine dēmandātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from dē- and mandō “to entrust, commit”.^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Livy, “to entrust”.^[2] Köbler dates Livy 59 BC–17 AD.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to entrust, hand over, as in Livy, and with ut in Gaius to charge someone to do something.^[2] Suetonius has dēmandārī in cīvitātem “to be placed for safety in a town”.^[5] Lewis & Short note it is not ante-Augustan, unlike commendō.^[6]

In Medieval Latin it came to mean to ask, request, and through Old French demander “to request” it gave English demand in the late 14th century, first “to ask questions”.^[3] It survives in Italian domandare and Spanish demandar.^[1]

Timeline

• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it.^[2][4]
• 140–180 AD – Gaius uses it of a charge.^[2][4]
• late 14th century – English demand is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To entrust, hand over.^[2]
2. To charge (someone to do something).^[2]

Word family

• demandatio

Related words

• mandō
• commendō
• English demand

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c 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. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press