frequento

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [frɛˈkʷɛn.toː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [freˈkʷɛn.to]^[1]

Forms

frequentō (present infinitive frequentāre, perfect active frequentāvī, supine frequentātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from frequēns “crowded, frequent” with the verb suffix -ō.^[2][1][3] Medieval manuscripts spell it ⟨frae-⟩.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Cicero, of populating and crowding.^[2] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to fill with people, populate, crowd a place, of a crowd to throng a place or a person, as in Sallust, and to multiply.^[2] It meant to use often, to repeat, as in the Rhetorica ad Herennium, and to visit often, frequent a place or a person, as Cicero's alicuius domum frequentāre.^[2][6] In Ovid it meant to celebrate a festival, attend a meeting, in Tacitus to appear on the stage, and in Virgil to inhabit.^[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to frequent, have recourse to, celebrate, visit often.^[7] It survives in Italian frequentare and Spanish frecuentar, and French fréquenter.^[1]

Timeline

• 86/82 BC – The Rhetorica ad Herennium uses it of repeating.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of crowding and of frequenting.^[2][6][5]
• 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid uses it of celebrating festivals.^[2][5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To populate; to crowd.^[2]
2. To throng.^[2]
3. To multiply.^[2]
4. To use often; to repeat.^[2]
5. To frequent, visit often.^[2]
6. To celebrate; to attend; to inhabit.^[2]

Word family

• confrequentō
• frequentāmentum
• frequentātiō
• frequentātīuus
• frequentator
• infrequentatus

Related words

• frequēns
• frequentia
• English frequent

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson