Etymologically
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demigro

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈdeː.mɪ.ɡroː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈdɛː.mi.ɡro][1]

Forms

dēmigrō (present infinitive dēmigrāre, perfect active dēmigrāvī, supine dēmigrātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin dē- + migrō (“to move, migrate”).[2][1] De Vaan reconstructs ⟨migrō⟩ via Proto-Italic ⟨*migro-⟩ from Proto-Indo-European *h₂mi-gʷ-ro- (“changing”), cognate with Ancient Greek ἀμείβω (ameíbō, “to change”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Gaffiot cites Caesar for leaving towns to settle elsewhere, and Lewis & Short call it classical.[4][5] Köbler dates Caesar c. 50 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to go away from a place, move out, migrate, especially to settle elsewhere, as in Caesar's dē oppidīs dēmigrāre and Cicero; and figuratively to depart.[2][5][4]

English demigrate is from it.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 50 BC – Caesar uses it.[4][6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To move away, emigrate, change one's abode.[2][5]
  2. (figurative) To depart.[5]

Word family

  • dēmigrātiō

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ 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 c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  5. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de