Etymologically
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excutio

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ɛkˈskʊ.ti.oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ekˈskut.t͡si.o][1]

Forms

excutiō (present infinitive excutere, perfect active excussī, supine excussum); third (-iō variant) conjugation[1] Plautus has the archaic perfect subjunctive excussit for excusserit.[2]

Etymology

It is from ex- “out” and quatiō “to shake”.[3][1][4] De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Italic *kwat-i- for ⟨quatiō⟩, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kwot-.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, and Cato, of shaking out.[3] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to shake or knock out or off, as in Cato and Livy's horse that throws its rider; to drive out, expel, as in Terence; to shake off a condition or attitude, as in Cicero; to scatter; to provoke laughter or tears; to discharge, shoot, as in Livy; to shake out a garment to clean it, as in Plautus; and to search a person, and so to examine, scrutinise, as in Cicero.[3][7]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to search, examine, interrogate, shake.[8] Through Old French escourre, compounded as rescourre, it is the source of English rescue (about 1300).[4] It survives in Italian scuotere and Romanian scoate.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.[3][6]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of knocking off.[3][6]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of examining.[3][6]
  • c. 1300 – English rescue is recorded.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To shake out or off, knock off.[3]
  2. To drive out, expel.[3]
  3. To cast off (a feeling or condition).[3]
  4. To discharge, shoot.[3]
  5. To search; to examine, scrutinise.[3]

Word family

  • excussiō
  • excussōrius
  • excussus
  • inexcussus

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ 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 c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson