dictito

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈdɪk.tɪ.toː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈdik.ti.to]^[1]

Forms

dictitō (present infinitive dictitāre, perfect active dictitāvī, supine dictitātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is the frequentative of dictō “to say often, dictate”, itself from dīcō “to say”, formed with -itō.^[2][1][3] De Vaan traces ⟨dīcō⟩ to Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- (“to show”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Cato, of calling something by a name.^[2] Köbler dates Cato 234–149 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to keep saying, repeat, maintain, as in Terence and Cicero; to make a practice of pleading causes, as in Cicero; and to call habitually, as in Cato.^[2][6][7]

Timeline

• 234–149 BC – Cato uses it.^[2][5]
• 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of repeating.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of pleading.^[2][5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To keep saying, repeat, maintain.^[2]
2. To plead causes habitually.^[2]
3. To call habitually.^[2]

Related words

• dictō
• dīcō

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press