exercito

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ɛkˈsɛr.kɪ.toː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [eɡˈzɛr.t͡ʃi.to]^[1]

Forms

exercitō (present infinitive exercitāre, perfect active exercitāvī, supine exercitātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is a frequentative of exerceō “to keep busy, train” with the suffix -tō.^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Varro, “to train” and “to vex”.^[2] Köbler dates Varro 116–27 BC.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant to train, exercise, for physical or mental skill, and to vex, trouble, as in Varro, and Quintilian also uses it.^[2][4] Lewis & Short note that the finite verb is rare, while the participle exercitātus “practised, skilled” is common.^[5]

It survives in Italian esercitare, Spanish ejercitar and Romanian exercita.^[1] Its noun exercitātiō belongs with it, while English exercise comes through Old French exercice from exercitium.^[6]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it.^[2][3]
• c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses it.^[4][3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To train, exercise.^[2]
2. To vex, trouble.^[2]

Word family

• exercitāmentum
• exercitātiō
• exercitātor
• exercitātrix
• inexercitātus

Related words

• exerceō
• exercitus
• English exercise

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com