desino

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈdeː.sɪ.noː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈdɛː.s̬i.no]^[1]

Forms

dēsinō (present infinitive dēsinere, perfect active dēsiī, supine dēsitum); third conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from dē- and sinō “to let, leave”.^[2][1] De Vaan traces ⟨sinō⟩ to Proto-Italic ⟨*sine/o-⟩ “to put in place”, and lists the disputed root reconstructions.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, with an infinitive, and Terence.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to leave off, stop, finish, as in Terence, and with an infinitive to cease doing something, as in Plautus.^[2] With the accusative it meant to give up an activity, and Cicero has artem dēsinere “to give up one's art”.^[2][5] In Pliny the Elder it meant to end in space, “to end in a point”.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it with an infinitive.^[2][4]
• 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of stopping.^[2][4]
• 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder uses it of ending in space.^[2][4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To leave off, cease, stop.^[2]
2. (with infinitive) To cease doing.^[2]
3. To give up.^[2]
4. To end (in).^[2]

Word family

• desitus
• indesinens
• perdēsinō
• dēsinentia

Related words

• sinō
• dēsistō

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 d 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.