duro

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈduː.roː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈduː.ro]^[1]

Forms

dūrō (present infinitive dūrāre, perfect active dūrāvī, supine dūrātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from dūrus “hard” with the verb suffix -ō.^[2][1][3] Etymonline traces ⟨dūrus⟩ to Proto-Indo-European *deru- (“to be firm, solid”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of hardening oneself and of holding out.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

Lewis and Short note it is mostly ante-classical and post-Augustan, and not in Cicero.^[3] It meant to make hard, harden, as in Lucretius, to solidify liquids, to make skin horny, as in Virgil, and to dry for preservation, as in Horace.^[2] It meant to inure, steel, as in Plautus, and intransitively to become hard, to harden oneself.^[2] From Plautus it meant to hold out, endure, last, and in Virgil to bear with.^[2] Of things it meant to last, continue, of food to keep, as in Cato, of living things to survive, and in Tacitus to extend, in Quintilian to remain unchanged.^[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to make hard, persevere, endure, remain, last.^[6] It survives in Italian durare and French durer, and through Old French durer the Middle English verb duren gave English during.^[1][4]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of holding out.^[2][5]
• 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of food keeping.^[2][5]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of hardening.^[2][5]
• late 14th century – English during is recorded.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To harden; to solidify; to dry.^[2]
2. To inure, steel.^[2]
3. To become hard; to harden oneself.^[2]
4. To hold out, endure; to bear.^[2]
5. To last; to keep; to survive.^[2]
6. To extend; to remain.^[2]

Word family

• condūrō
• dūrābilis
• dūrāmen
• dūrāmentum
• durator
• dūrātrix
• ēdūrō
• exeduratus
• indūrō
• obdūrō
• perdūrō
• praedūrō

Related words

• dūrus
• English during
• English endure
• English durable

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 l m n o Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson