gressus

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈɡrɛs.sʊs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈɡrɛs.sus]^[1]

Forms

gressus m (genitive gressūs); fourth declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin gradior (“to step, walk”) + -tus, an action noun.^[2][1] The vowel ⟨e⟩ comes from the compounds such as aggressus and ⟨congressus⟩.^[3][4] De Vaan traces ⟨gradior⟩ to Proto-Italic ⟨*grad-(e)i-⟩, Proto-Indo-European *g(ʰ)r̥d(ʰ)-(e)i-.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are Lucretius, and Köbler's earliest source is Virgil.^[2][5] Köbler dates Lucretius 96–55 BC and Virgil 70–19 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant a stepping, step, pace, gait, walk, course, mostly poetic and post-classical, as in Lucretius, Virgil, Seneca and Pliny.^[2][6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it means step, stride, course of life, advance.^[7] Medieval Latin used it for the foot.^[8]

Timeline

• 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it.^[2][5]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A step, pace, gait, walk.^[2][6]
2. (Ecclesiastical Latin) A course of life.^[7]
3. (Medieval Latin) A foot.^[8]

Related words

• gradior
• gradus
• ingressus
• prōgressus

Usage notes

Lewis & Short compare gradus, passus and incessus.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill