facio

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈfa.ki.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈfaː.t͡ʃi.o]^[1]

Forms

faciō (present infinitive facere or fāre, perfect active fēcī, supine factum); third (-iō variant) conjugation, suppletive^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *fak-i-, from a form of Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to put, place”) extended with *-k-.^[2][1] De Vaan takes the -k- to have arisen in the Proto-Indo-European root aorist, as in Ancient Greek ἔθηκα (éthēka, “I put”) and Phrygian αδδακετ (addaket, “he set, placed”); in Italic the stem *fak- (perfect *fēk-) was generalized through the whole verb.^[2][3] Its passive is supplied by the unrelated fīō “to become”.^[4][1]

Within Italic, compare Oscan fakiiad (“let him make”), Umbrian façia (“let him make”) and Old Latin fhefhaked (“made”) on the Praeneste fibula.^[2][4] Further cognate with Sanskrit दधाति (dádhāti, “puts, makes”) and Lithuanian dėti (“to put”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The perfect appears in Old Latin inscriptions, such as feced in the Duenos inscription, and the verb is in the Twelve Tables.^[2] The fibula of Praeneste reads Manios med fhefhaked Numasioi “Manius made me for Numerius”.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Its range is the widest of any Latin verb: to make or build, to produce by growth, to create, to compose a literary work, and to utter sounds.^[4][5] It meant to appoint to an office, to make up or amount to a total, and to spend time.^[4] It meant to bring about conditions, actions and agreements, as in bellum facere “to make war” and foedus facere “to make a treaty”, and to acquire money or incur losses.^[4][6]

With a clause it meant “to see to it that”, and with a predicate “to render”, as in heredem facere “to make someone heir”; with a genitive of value it meant “to value”, as in magni facere.^[4] It meant to do or commit an act, to carry out a duty, to hold a rite, and absolutely to sacrifice.^[4] It also meant to suppose or represent, to act or behave, and to be effective.^[4]

It survives as French faire, Italian fare and Spanish hacer,^[1] and through French it gave English feat and English surfeit, while its participle factum gave English fact.^[7]

Timeline

• 7th–3rd century BC – The perfect feced appears in the Duenos inscription.^[2][8]
• c. 450 BC – The Twelve Tables use it for making a contract.^[2][4]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses faxo for “I will see to it”.^[4][8]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it for making a fleet, a treaty and a will.^[4][8]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar uses it for making a camp and a bridge.^[6][8]
• mid-14th century – Through French fait it gives English feat.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To make, build, construct.^[4][5]
2. To produce by growth; to bring forth.^[4]
3. To create; to form by training.^[4]
4. To compose (a literary work); to write (letters, words).^[4]
5. To utter (sounds).^[4]
6. To appoint (to an office).^[4]
7. To make up, amount to; to spend (time).^[4]
8. To bring about, cause; to make (an agreement, war).^[4][6]
9. To acquire (money); to incur (a loss).^[4]
10. To see to it (that); to render, make (something into something).^[4]
11. With a genitive of value, to value, as in magni facere “to value highly”.^[4]
12. To do, perform; to commit (a crime); to carry out (orders).^[4]
13. To hold (a rite); absolutely, to sacrifice.^[4]
14. To represent; to suppose, imagine.^[4]
15. To act, behave; to be effective.^[4]

Word family

• afficiō
• antefactus
• dēficiō
• efficiō
• facessō
• faciēs
• facilis
• facinus
• factīcius
• factiō
• factitō
• factō

Related words

• -fex
• -ficō
• -ficus
• fīō
• English fact
• English feat
• English surfeit
• English affect

Usage notes

In the passive the verb mostly uses fio, and faxo, faxim are archaic future and subjunctive forms.^[4][5] Its compounds change a to i, as in efficio, conficio and perficio.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 27 28 29 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de