departio

Forms

dēpartiō (present infinitive dēpartīre, perfect active dēpartīvī, supine dēpartītum); fourth conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin dē- + partiō (“to share, divide”).^[1][2][3] Its Romance descendants include Old French departir, Italian dipartire and Spanish departir.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Boethius has it in his translation of Aristotle's Posterior Analytics, of dividing a genus into its indivisible species,^[2][4] and a glossary equates it with Ancient Greek καταμερίζω (katamerízō, “to distribute”).^[4]

Semantic evolution

In Late Latin it meant “to divide”.^[1][2] Medieval writers used it for distributing and apportioning: the deeds of the abbots of Lobbes blame an abbot for handing out the abbey's lands, churches and tithes.^[5][6] British sources also have it for dissipating, for a parliament being dissolved and for leaving an office,^[6] and its participle for particoloured cloth.^[6]

Old French departir meant “to divide, distribute; to separate, go away; to die”, and gave English depart.^[3]

Timeline

• Late Latin – Boethius, “to divide”.^[2][4]
• mid-13th century – English depart, through Old French.^[3]
• 1421 – A will uses the participle for a particoloured vestment.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. (Late Latin) To divide.^[2][4][1]
2. (Medieval Latin) To distribute, apportion; to dissipate.^[5][6]
3. (Medieval Latin) In the perfect participle: particoloured.^[6]
4. (Medieval Latin) To dissolve (a parliament); to depart, retire.^[6]

Related words

• dispertiō
• pars
• English depart

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
5. ^ a b Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
6. ^ a b c d e f g Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press