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disicio

Etymology and origin of the Latin word disicio

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
Ennius
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*Hyeh₁-)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin iacio
Latin circumicio
Latin disicio
Latin intericio

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [dɪsˈjɪ.ki.oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [disˈjiː.t͡ʃi.o], [dɪsˈsɪ.ki.oː][1]

Forms

disiciō (present infinitive disicere, perfect active disiēcī, supine disiectum); third (-iō variant) conjugation[1] Also spelled dissiciō and, less correctly, disiiciō; the first syllable is always long.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin dis- (“apart”) + iaciō (“to throw”).[2][4][1] The double ⟨ss⟩ of the variant ⟨dissiciō⟩ probably reflects palatalisation and doubling or assimilation of the consonant cluster.[1] De Vaan traces ⟨iaciō⟩ to Proto-Italic *jak-i- (“to throw”), from Proto-Indo-European *Hyeh₁- (“to throw, let go”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Ennius, of breaking something up and scattering it.[2] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to break up and scatter in fragments, as in Ennius; to drive in all directions, scatter, disperse troops or a crowd, as in Varro and Caesar; and figuratively to dispel, frustrate, put an end to a plan or state of affairs, as in Cato and Cicero.[2][3] Its participle disiectus appears in Ovid's disiecta membra “scattered limbs”.[3]

Timeline

  • 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it.[2][6]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of frustrating plans.[2][6]
  • c. 50 BC – Caesar uses it of scattering troops.[3][6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To break up and scatter in fragments.[2]
  2. To drive in all directions, disperse.[2]
  3. To dispel, frustrate, put an end to.[2]

Word family

  • disiectō
  • disjectus

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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
Cite this entry

“Disicio.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/disicio. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·