Etymologically
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frequento

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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

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