incerno

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ɪŋˈkɛr.noː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [in̠ʲˈt͡ʃɛr.no]^[1]

Forms

incernō (present infinitive incernere, perfect active incrēvī, supine incrētum); third conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin in- + cernō (“to sift, discern”).^[2][1] De Vaan traces ⟨cernō⟩ to Proto-Italic *krin-e/o-, from Proto-Indo-European *kr-n-i- (“to sift, separate”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lewis & Short and Gaffiot cite Cato's Dē agrī cultūrā, of sifting earth on with a sieve (terram cribrō).^[4][5] Köbler dates Cato 234–149 BC.^[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to sprinkle on with a sieve, sift on, and to besprinkle, cover with something sifted, as in Cato and Columella.^[2][4][5]

Timeline

• 234–149 BC – Cato uses it.^[4][5][6]
• 1st century AD – Columella uses it.^[5][6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To sift on, sprinkle on with a sieve; to besprinkle.^[2][4]

Word family

• incerniculum
• superincernō

Related words

• cernō
• crībrum

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de