disquisitio

Forms

disquīsītiō f (genitive disquīsītiōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin disquīrō (“to inquire into”) + -tiō, a noun of action.^[2][1][3] That verb is a compound of dis- and quaerō (“to seek”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *kwai-s-e/o-; he thinks the best proposal is Nussbaum's derivation from Proto-Indo-European *kueh2-i- (“to acquire”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLL finds it first in the Rhetorica ad Herennium,^[3][5] and Cicero uses it in his speeches, of the inquiry into a crime and of great inquiries and sudden dangers.^[3][6]

Semantic evolution

It is used of inquiries both judicial and private.^[3][7] Livy has the phrase in disquīsītiōnem venīre, to come under examination,^[6][8] Tacitus writes of the provinces' requests sent to the senate for inquiry, and Suetonius of Caesar summoning Catulus to answer before the people.^[8][3] The jurists Ulpian and Paul use it of the judge's examination of a case.^[3] Medieval writers used it of research and inquiry generally, including the study of Scripture.^[9][10] English borrowed it as disquisition.^[11]

Timeline

• 86/82 BC – The Rhetorica ad Herennium uses it.^[3][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of the inquiry into a crime.^[3][5]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy writes of matters coming under examination.^[6][5]
• c. 75–c. 150 AD – Suetonius writes of an accusation before the people.^[3][5]
• c. 1600 – English disquisition is recorded.^[11]

Meanings

Noun

1. An investigation, inquiry, especially a judicial one.^[2][6]
2. (Medieval Latin) Research, study.^[9][10]

Related words

• quaerō
• inquīsītiō
• English disquisition

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
8. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
9. ^ a b Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
10. ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
11. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com