Etymologically
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immitto

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ɪmˈmɪt.toː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [imˈmit.to][1]

Forms

immittō (present infinitive immittere, perfect active immīsī, supine immissum); third conjugation[1] Also inmittō, immīsse and immīstī stand for immīsisse and immīsistī.[2]

Etymology

It is from in- “in, against” and mittō “to send”.[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Accius, habēnās immittere “to give rein”.[2] Köbler dates Accius 170–c. 90 BC.[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant to send into a place, as in Varro; to send against with hostile purpose, as in Cicero's slaves sent to plunder a shrine; to throw, discharge, let fly, as in Lucretius; to loose death or other evils on someone; to direct water or air into something, as in Caesar; to put in, insert, as in Virgil; to let in, as in Livy; and to let go slack, habēnās immittere, give free rein, often figuratively.[2][4]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to send, insert, put into, cast, introduce.[5] It survives in Italian immettere.[1]

Timeline

  • 170–c. 90 BC – Accius uses it of slackening reins.[2][3]
  • 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of sending in.[2][3]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of sending against.[2][3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To send in; to send against.[2]
  2. To throw, let fly; to loose (evils) on.[2]
  3. To put in, insert; to let in.[2]
  4. To let go slack, habēnās immittere to give rein.[2]

Word family

  • immissārium
  • immissiō
  • immissus

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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  5. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson