devoro

Forms

dēvorō (present infinitive dēvorāre, perfect active dēvorāvī, supine dēvorātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin dē- + vorō (“to swallow”).^[2][3][1] De Vaan takes vorō as probably a denominative verb from a noun or adjective meaning “food” or “devouring”, from Proto-Italic *gʷo/erā- and Proto-Indo-European *gʷo/erh₃-o/h₂- (“devouring, devoured”).^[4] Cognate with Ancient Greek βορά (borá, “fodder”) and Lithuanian gérti (“to drink”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus,^[4] who has “swallow my words” of listening eagerly.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It means to swallow or gulp down, as Cato's sick ox made to swallow an egg whole, and figuratively to take in eagerly with the mind or senses, as in Plautus.^[2] It is also to engulf or swallow up, as Catullus' darkness of Orcus that devours all pretty things, and of fire to consume, as in Seneca's mountain consumed every day.^[2] Plautus uses it of a prostitute swallowing up what she is given, money or property, and Cicero of putting up with something.^[2] Ovid has grief swallowing the voice and tears.^[2] The grammarian Nonius glosses it “to consume, snatch away”.^[3] Church Latin glosses it “devour, swallow, gulp down”.^[5] English devour comes from it through Old French, recorded from the early 14th century.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of devouring words and money.^[2][4][7]
• 234–149 BC – Cato of swallowing an egg.^[2][7]
• 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus of the darkness of Orcus that devours.^[2][7]
• 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid of grief that chokes the voice.^[2][7]
• early 14th century – English devour, through Old French.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To swallow, gulp down, devour; to take in eagerly with the mind.^[2][8][1]
2. To engulf, swallow up; of fire, to consume.^[2][1]
3. To use up, squander money or property.^[2][1]
4. To put up with, bear patiently.^[2][1]
5. To repress, check signs of emotion.^[2][1]

Related words

• vorō
• vorāx

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c d de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
8. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press