Etymologically
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incontra

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ɪŋˈkɔn.traː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [iŋˈkɔn.tra][1]

Forms

incontrā (not comparable)[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin in + contrā (“against, opposite”), a Late Latin compound.[1][2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in the Itala, the Old Latin Bible (after 220 AD), as an adverb “on the opposite side” and as a preposition with the accusative, “towards”.[3][2][1]

Semantic evolution

Georges records it as a preposition “opposite” in the Antonine Itinerary.[4] In the formulae and charters of the Frankish kingdoms it was common: as an adverb “in return, in exchange; on the other hand”, and as a preposition “against, in disregard of”, “in the presence of”, “in exchange for” and “in favour of”, with the phrase incontrā īre “to act against”.[5][2] Du Cange cites a Roman epitaph that places a burial “near the column”, and Anastasius' Historia ecclesiastica, which uses it for ἀντικρύ (antikrú).[6]

It lives on in Italian incontro and French encontre.[3][6]

Timeline

  • after 220 AD – The Itala uses it as an adverb and a preposition.[3][2]
  • 713 – A Weissenburg charter uses it for acting against a sale.[5]
  • third quarter of the 8th century – It appears in the Lex Salica.[2]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. On the opposite side.[3]
  2. (Medieval Latin) In return, in exchange; on the other hand.[5][2]

Preposition

  1. (Late Latin, + accusative) Towards; opposite, facing.[1][3][4][6]
  2. (Medieval Latin) Against, in disregard of.[5][2]
  3. (Medieval Latin) In the presence of; in exchange for; in favour of.[5][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  3. ^ a b c d e f Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  5. ^ a b c d e Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  6. ^ a b c du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre