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haesito

Etymology and origin of the Latin word haesito

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Terence
Ultimate origin
Latin (haereō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈhae̯.sɪ.toː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈɛː.s̬i.to][1]

Forms

haesitō (present infinitive haesitāre, perfect active haesitāvī, supine haesitātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is the frequentative of haereō “to stick, cling”, formed with -tō.[2][1][3] De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Italic *χais-ē- for ⟨haereō⟩.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Terence, of sticking fast.[2] Köbler dates Terence 190–159 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to stick, be held fast, as in Terence, a rare literal sense; to move falteringly; and above all to be stuck, at a loss, undecided, hesitate, as in Cicero's orator who never hesitated for not knowing what anger is, and to be in doubt, as in Cicero and Livy.[2][6] Caesar has haesitantēs mīlitēs “soldiers at a loss”, and it was also used of stammering.[7][3]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to hesitate, doubt, be perplexed, waver, stagger.[8] Its participle haesitātus gave English hesitate in the 1620s.[3]

Timeline

  • 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of sticking.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of hesitating.[2][5]
  • 1620s – English hesitate is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To stick fast.[2]
  2. To move falteringly; to stammer.[2][3]
  3. To be at a loss, hesitate, be in doubt.[2]

Word family

  • haesitābundus
  • haesitantia
  • haesitātiō
  • haesitātor

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ 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 Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Cite this entry

“Haesito.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/haesito. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·