Etymologically
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expresso

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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