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exhibeo

Etymology and origin of the Latin word exhibeo

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (habeō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ɛkˈsɪ.be.oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [eɡˈziː.be.o][1]

Forms

exhibeō (present infinitive exhibēre, perfect active exhibuī, supine exhibitum); second conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from ex- and habeō “to have, hold”, so literally “to hold out”.[2][1][3] It is often written without the ⟨h⟩, as ⟨exibeō⟩.[3][4] Etymonline traces ⟨habeō⟩ to Proto-Indo-European *gʰabʰ- (“to give or receive”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of displaying conduct and of causing trouble.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to produce, bring out for inspection, as Cicero's exhibē librārium “produce the book-box”, and in law agere ad exhibendum was to sue for production.[2][7] It meant to show, display, to make known in teaching or writing, to reveal, to put on a show, as Martial's wild beasts, and to have or show a feature.[2] It meant to display a mode of conduct, to show oneself as, to furnish, provide, cause trouble, as in Plautus, and to grant.[2] In Ulpian's law it meant to support, maintain a person.[2] Döderlein explains that praebēre and exhibēre both mean to give voluntarily what another needs.[8]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to exhibit, show, present, deliver, offer.[9] English exhibit came in the mid-15th century from its participle exhibitus.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of displaying conduct and of causing trouble.[2][6]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of producing evidence.[2][6]
  • 40–102/103 AD – Martial uses it of exhibiting a spectacle.[2][6]
  • mid-15th century – English exhibit is recorded.[5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To produce, present for inspection, (law) to produce in court.[2]
  2. To show, display; to make known; to reveal.[2]
  3. To put on show, exhibit.[2]
  4. To show a feature or effect.[2]
  5. To display a mode of conduct; to show oneself as.[2]
  6. To furnish, provide; to cause trouble; to grant.[2]
  7. (law) To support, maintain.[2]

Word family

  • exhibitiō
  • exhibitor
  • subexhibeo
  • exhibitus

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p 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. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  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. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  9. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Cite this entry

“Exhibeo.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/exhibeo. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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