for

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈfɔr]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈfɔr]^[1]

Forms

for (present infinitive fārī or fārier, perfect active fātus sum); first conjugation, deponent^[1] A defective verb; the forms in use are fātur, fantur, future fābor, fābitur, imperative fāre, the perfect participle fātus and the infinitive fārī.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *fā- (“to speak”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to speak”).^[4][1] Latin, or already Proto-Italic, generalised the full grade of the root.^[4] Wiktionary notes that it is unclear why the verb is deponent.^[1] Cognates include Umbrian fato (“said”), Oscan faamat (“calls”) and Ancient Greek φημί (phēmí, “I say”), and the OLD also compares Old English bōian (“to boast”).^[4][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus.^[4] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to speak, talk, as in Virgil's tālia fātur “he speaks thus”; to say, tell; and with an accusative to tell of, reveal, as in Propertius.^[2][6] Lewis & Short add the poetic infinitive fārier in Virgil and the gerund fandō.^[3]

The same root gave fātum “prophecy, destiny”, from Plautus on, and fāma “report, reputation”, from Naevius on.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[4][5]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of speaking.^[2][5]
• 57/46–12 BC – Propertius uses it of telling of.^[2][5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To speak, talk.^[2]
2. To say, tell.^[2]
3. (with accusative) To tell of, reveal.^[2]

Word family

• affor
• bifarius
• fācundus
• fāmen
• fātor
• fātus
• īnfandus
• interfor
• nefandus
• nefans
• praefor
• profor

Related words

• fās
• fateor
• fatuus
• fātum
• fāma
• fābula

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.