Etymologically
Log in

discutio

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 12:32. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [dɪsˈkʊ.ti.oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [disˈkut.t͡si.o][1]

Forms

discutiō (present infinitive discutere, perfect active discussī, supine discussum); third (-iō variant) conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from dis- (“apart”) and quatiō “to shake”, with the vowel weakened.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citation is Lucilius, of knocking out teeth.[2][4] Köbler dates Lucilius c. 180–102 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to dash to pieces, break up, shatter, as Lucretius' temples of the gods struck by lightning and Livy's wall breached by rams, and to shake violently or shake off.[2][4][6] It meant to scatter, disperse, as clouds in Ovid and mist in Livy, in medicine to dispel morbid matter, and in war to break up an assembly or rout an army.[2][4] Figuratively, and more often, it meant to dispel fear or danger, bring an undertaking to nothing.[2][4]

In Late and Medieval Latin it also meant to examine, investigate, discuss, and in Ecclesiastical Latin to plead a case.[3][7] It survives in French discuter, Italian discutere and Spanish discutir.[1] English discuss was borrowed from its participle discussus in the late 14th century, first meaning “to examine”.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius uses it of knocking out teeth.[2][5]
  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of shattering temples.[4][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of dispelling fear.[2][5]
  • late 14th century – English discuss is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To shatter, dash to pieces.[2]
  2. To shake off.[2]
  3. To disperse, scatter.[2]
  4. To dispel (a condition); to bring to nothing.[2]
  5. (Late Latin) To examine, discuss.[3]

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  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. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson