fremo

Forms

fremō (present infinitive fremere, perfect active fremuī, supine fremitum); third conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *freme/o-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrem-e/o- (“to hum, rumble”), though the exact shape of the root is not certain.^[2][1] Cognate with Welsh brefu (“to bleat, roar”) and Middle High German brimmen (“to roar”), and perhaps Ancient Greek βρέμω (brémō, “to roar”).^[2][3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan gives Ennius as its first author,^[2] who has “the rain of Neptune roared” in the Annals.^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

It is to make a deep, continuous sound, of the sea, wind and missiles, of angry animals, as Lucretius' growling dogs baring their teeth, of crowds, as Virgil's Cretans and Dryopes thronging the altars, and of places resounding with noise.^[3][5] Of people it is to grumble or protest, as Cicero's “let them all grumble, I'll say what I think”, or to shout approval.^[3] With an object it is to clamour for something, as Accius' Argives demanding war, to mutter against, and to declare indignantly, as Arrius complaining that the consulship had been snatched from him (Cicero).^[3]

Church Latin glosses it “rage, roar, clamor, shout”.^[6]

Timeline

• 204–169 BC – Ennius of roaring rain.^[3][2][4]
• 170–c. 90 BC – Accius of clamouring for war.^[3][4]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius of growling dogs.^[3][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of grumbling and indignant complaint.^[3][4]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil of thronging crowds.^[3][4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To roar, rumble, hum, growl; to resound.^[3][1][5]
2. To grumble, protest; to shout (approval).^[3][1]
3. To clamour for; to mutter against.^[3][1]
4. To declare indignantly.^[3][6]

Word family

• affremō
• circumfremō
• cōnfremō
• dēfremō
• fremibundus
• fremidus
• fremitus
• fremor
• īnfremō
• perfremō
• fremebundus

Related words

• strepō
• murmurō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson