Etymologically
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depso

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈdɛp.soː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈdɛp.so][1]

Forms

depsō (present infinitive depsere, perfect active depsuī, supine depstum); third conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek δέψω (dépsō),[2][3][1] a variant of δέφω (déphō).[1] Nonius already said that it takes its origin from Greek.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Cato's De agri cultura uses it of kneading flour with the hands (manibus depsitō farīnam), of working clay to smear on a stem, and of softening hides.[2][5][4] Köbler dates Cato 234–149 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

Varro, as quoted by Nonius, has alius molit et depsit, “another grinds and kneads”.[5][7] Lewis & Short and Georges also note an obscene sense, “to dishonour”, on the evidence of a letter of Cicero (Fam. 9.22.4).[5][7]

Timeline

  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of kneading flour and clay and of softening hides.[2][4][6]
  • 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of kneading.[5][7][6]
  • 81–43 BC – A letter of Cicero is the evidence for an obscene sense.[5][7][6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To knead, work into a paste (flour, clay).[2][5][7]
  2. To soften (leather) by rubbing and squeezing it in the hands; to tan, dress hides.[2][5][7]
  3. (obscene) To dishonour.[5][8]

Word family

  • condepsō
  • depstīcius
  • perdepsō

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Saalfeld, Günther Alexander (1874), Index Graecorum vocabulorum in linguam latinam translatorum, Berlin: Weidmann
  4. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ a b c d e f Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  8. ^ Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier