Etymologically
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excrucio

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ɛkˈskrʊ.ki.oː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ekˈskruː.t͡ʃi.o][1]

Forms

excruciō (present infinitive excruciāre, perfect active excruciāvī, supine excruciātum); first conjugation[1] Terence has the archaic passive infinitive excruciārier.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin ex- (“thoroughly”) + cruciō (“to torture”).[4][3][1] De Vaan derives cruciō from crux (“cross, gallows”), and leaves the origin of crux open, perhaps Proto-Italic *kruk(-i)-.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus,[5] whose Miles Gloriosus has a slave cry “I'm done for! My master will torture me”.[2]

Semantic evolution

It means to torture or torment, both physically and mentally.[4][2] Caesar uses it of slaves tortured with hunger and chains.[2] Of the mind it means to rack, plague or distress, as Cicero writes to his wife that her misery torments him as much as his own.[2] Tertullian uses it of extorting by torture.[2][1] English excruciate (1560s) is from its participle.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of a slave's fear of torture.[2][5][7]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence has the infinitive excruciārier.[2][7]
  • c. 50 BC – Caesar of slaves tortured with hunger and chains.[2][7]
  • 1560s – English excruciate is formed from its participle.[6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To torture, torment greatly, rack.[4][2][1]
  2. To torment mentally, plague, distress, vex.[4][2][1]
  3. To force out by torture, extort.[2][1]

Word family

  • excruciābilis
  • excruciatio
  • excruciator
  • excruciatus

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c 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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de