expresso

Forms

expressō (present infinitive expressāre, perfect active expressāvī, supine expressātum); first conjugation^[1][2] Also spelled ⟨expraessō⟩.^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin expressus (“pressed out; expressed”), the past participle of exprimō (“to press out; to express”).^[3][4][1] The TLL takes it as an intensive formed from the participle.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A Greek–Latin glossary of uncertain date already gives it, with exclāmō and exprimō, for ἐκφωνῶ (ekphōnô, “I call out”).^[4][5] Its first dated use is in the Gascon rolls of 1254, in the phrase “as is stated above”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

In medieval charters and records it meant “to express, state explicitly”, and it was used most of all in the perfect participle: superius expressātus, “stated above”.^[3][6][7] So a charter of Philip the Fair of 1307 speaks of towns stated and assigned above,^[7] Polish documents from 1293 on have iam expressātus, “already mentioned”,^[1] and Hungarian charters from 1360 on speak of terms and conditions set out in letters.^[2] It also meant “to name”, “to depict” (of coats of arms painted on a grant of nobility), and, in Polish records, “to stipulate”.^[2][1] The DMLBS compares the sense “to state explicitly” of exprimō.^[3]

Timeline

• 1254 – The Gascon rolls use it of what is stated above.^[3]
• 1293 – A Polish charter has the participle “already mentioned”.^[1]
• 1307 – A charter of Philip the Fair uses it.^[7]
• 1360 – Hungarian charters use it of terms set out in letters.^[2]
• 1431 – A Hungarian grant of nobility uses it of a painted coat of arms.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. (Medieval Latin) To express, to state or mention explicitly.^[3][6][7][2]
2. (Medieval Latin) To name, mention by name.^[2]
3. (Medieval Latin) To depict, represent.^[2]
4. (Medieval Latin) To stipulate, make a reservation.^[1]
5. (Medieval Latin) expressātus (perfect participle): mentioned, stated (above); clear, plain.^[1][2]

Usage notes

The DMLBS and a Polish dictionary also record expressō as an adverb, the ablative of expressus, meaning “explicitly, precisely”.^[3][1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
3. ^ a b c d e f g Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ Goetz, Georg (1888–1923), Corpus glossariorum Latinorum, Leipzig: Teubner; vols. VI–VII Thesaurus glossarum emendatarum, digital ed. CGLO, Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
6. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
7. ^ a b c d du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre