Etymologically
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duro

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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

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