Etymologically
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expugno

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ɛkˈspʊŋ.noː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ekˈspuɲ.ɲo][1]

Forms

expugnō (present infinitive expugnāre, perfect active expugnāvī, supine expugnātum); first conjugation[1] Plautus has the archaic future infinitive expugnāssere.[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin ex- + pugnō (“to fight”).[4][1][3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLL finds it from Plautus on.[3] In the Amphitruo oppidum expugnāvimus, “we stormed the town”.[4]

Semantic evolution

It is to take a fortified place by storm, and to defeat troops in a strong position (Livy).[4] Figuratively a Plautine slave will storm his master without fleet or army.[4] It is to break into and plunder property (Cicero: houses will be stormed) and to force one's purpose, and of natural forces to wear down, as time destroys a city bit by bit in Seneca.[4] It is also to overcome a condition or resistance: Cicero speaks of storming a woman's chastity, Celsus of overcoming a shivering fit, and Horace of winning over a man himself.[4]

Church Latin glosses it “fight against, overthrow, afflict, oppress, blot out, cancel”.[6] English expugn (early 15th century) comes from it through Old French.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of storming a town.[3][4][7]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of breaking into houses.[4][7]
  • 59 BC–17 AD – Livy of defeating an enemy in its camp.[4][7]
  • 14–37 AD – Celsus of overcoming a disease.[4][7]
  • early 15th century – English expugn.[5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To take by storm, capture; to defeat.[4][1]
  2. To break into, plunder; to extort, achieve.[4][1]
  3. (of natural forces) To destroy, wear down.[4]
  4. To overcome, subdue; to persuade.[4][1][6]

Word family

  • expūgnābilis
  • expugnātiō
  • expugnātor
  • expūgnāx
  • inexpugnatus

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g 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 Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de