illicio

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ɪlˈlɪ.ki.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ilˈliː.t͡ʃi.o]^[1]

Forms

illiciō (present infinitive illicere, perfect active illē̆xī, supine illectum); third (-iō variant) conjugation^[1] Also inliciō, and Plautus and Accius have the syncopated perfect infinitive illexe.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from in- “in” and laciō “to entice”.^[2][1] De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Italic *lak-i- (“to draw, pull”) for ⟨laciō⟩.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of enticing someone somewhere.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to entice, attract to a place, as in Plautus, and to lure, inveigle into a course of action one would otherwise avoid, as in Cicero.^[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to entice, allure, seduce, decoy, inveigle.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[2][5]
• 170–c. 90 BC – Accius uses it.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of luring.^[2][5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To entice, attract.^[2]
2. To lure, inveigle, seduce.^[2][6]

Word family

• illectus
• illicibilis
• illicium

Related words

• laciō
• ēliciō
• illecebra

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. ^ 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 Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson