denuntio

Forms

dēnūntiō (present infinitive dēnūntiāre, perfect active dēnūntiāvī, supine dēnūntiātum); first conjugation^[1] It is also spelled dēnunciō, and an old inscription probably has dēnontiō.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin dē- + nūntiō (“to announce”).^[2][1][4] The verb comes from nūntius (“messenger”), probably from ⟨*nountio-⟩, whose further origin de Vaan finds unclear: it has been linked with a root “to cry” and with novus (“new”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLL finds it first in the Lex Bantina.^[4] Lewis and Short take it to be first a term of public law, religion and legal procedure, for an official announcement.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It is to announce in advance, often by prophecy, as Cicero speaks of the day of doom foretold for the state, and of things to signify, as arms that announce protection, not danger.^[2] It is to threaten (Cicero: he threatened violence), to declare formally, to order, and to give notice to do or not to do something.^[2] In law testimōnium dēnūntiāre is to summon a witness, and it is to serve a summons, domum dēnūntiāre at someone's house.^[2] Cicero and Livy use it often, but poets avoid it.^[4]

Church Latin glosses it “announce, declare, proclaim; threaten, denounce”.^[6]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero of foretelling, threatening, ordering and summoning.^[2][4][7]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy, often.^[4][7]
• 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca of what is announced in advance.^[2][7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To give notice of, announce in advance;^[2][1][6] (of things) to signify.^[2][1][6]
2. To threaten.^[2][6]
3. To declare formally, proclaim.^[2][1][6]
4. To order, enjoin; to give notice (to do something).^[2]
5. (law) To summon; to serve a summons.^[2][1]
6. (Ecclesiastical Latin) To denounce.^[6]

Word family

• dēnūntiātiō
• denuntiatiuus
• dēnuntiātor
• indēnuntiātus

Related words

• nūntiō
• nūntius
• ēnūntiō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ 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 c d e f 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