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disto

Etymology and origin of the Latin word disto

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Cicero
Ultimate origin
Latin (stō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈdɪs.toː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈdis.to][1]

Forms

distō (present infinitive distāre, perfect active distitī); first conjugation, no passive, no supine stem[1]

Etymology

It is from dis- “apart” and stō “to stand”.[2][1][3] A perfect ⟨distitī⟩ is found only in Boethius.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Cicero, as his distant multum inter sē sīdera “the stars are far apart”.[2][5] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to stand or lie apart, be distant, by a given amount, and in Vitruvius impersonally there is a distance.[2][5] In Vitruvius and Ovid it meant to be distant in time.[2] From Cicero it meant to be different, in Lucretius to differ in some respect, and impersonally there is a difference.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to be apart or distinct.[7] It was borrowed into Italian and Spanish as distare.[1] Its present participle gave English distant in the late 14th century, and distantia gave English distance.[3]

Timeline

  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of differing.[2][6]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of the stars being far apart.[2][5][6]
  • c. 84–c. 25 BC – Vitruvius uses it of time.[2][6]
  • late 14th century – English distant is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To stand apart, be distant.[2]
  2. To be distant in time.[2]
  3. To differ; there is a difference.[2]

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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Cite this entry

“Disto.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/disto. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·