fraxo

Forms

fraxō (present infinitive fraxāre, perfect active fraxāvī, supine fraxātum); first conjugation^[1] A by-form flaxō appears in the glossary of Placidus.^[2]

Etymology

The origin is uncertain.^[3][2] The OLD compares, with a perhaps, Ancient Greek φράσσω (phrássō).^[3] Georges reports Bugge's derivation from frangō (“to break”) through its participle ⟨frāctus⟩, formed as taxō is from tangō, so that it would first have meant “to bend often”.^[2] Wiktionary traces it to Proto-Indo-European *bʰrekʷ- (“to stuff”) and compares frequēns (“crowded”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The verb survives only in a gloss of Festus, known from Paul the Deacon's epitome, where it is explained as making the rounds of the watch.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Georges takes it as inspecting the sentries and Gaffiot as keeping watch,^[2][4] and Wiktionary glosses it “to patrol”.^[1] Georges and Gaffiot cite only this gloss.^[2][4]

Timeline

• 2nd half of the 2nd century AD – Festus, in Paul the Deacon's epitome, explains it as going the rounds of the sentries.^[2][4][5]

Meanings

Verb

1. (intransitive) To go the rounds of the sentries, patrol.^[2][1]
2. (intransitive) To keep watch.^[4][3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
3. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de