indignor

Forms

indignor (present infinitive indignārī or indignārier, perfect active indignātus sum); first conjugation, deponent^[1] Lucretius has the archaic infinitive indignārier.^[2]

Etymology

It is formed from indignus (“unworthy”) with the verbal suffix -ō.^[3][1] ⟨Indignus⟩ is the negative of dignus (“worthy”), which de Vaan derives from the root of decet (“it is fitting”), Proto-Italic *dekno- (“worthy”), from Proto-Indo-European *deḱ-no-.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first example is Cicero's De inventione, which advises saying that what the opponents resent seems unworthy to you too.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It is to regard something as unworthy, to take offence at, resent or disdain it, with an object, an infinitive, as Lucretius' “will you hesitate and resent dying?”, an accusative and infinitive, as Matius' “I resent that the man I loved has perished”, or quod, as Caesar's soldiers indignant that the enemy could bear the sight of them.^[3] Used absolutely it is to be indignant, to complain or protest, as Sulpicius' “do we little men resent it if one of us dies?”, and Livy's loud cries of those protesting on their own behalf.^[3]

Church Latin glosses it “be angry, be indignant, be offended, consider unworthy”.^[5]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero of resentment.^[3][6]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius with an infinitive.^[3][6]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar of indignant soldiers.^[3][6]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy of protest.^[3][6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To regard as unworthy, take offence at, resent, disdain.^[3][1][5]
2. To be indignant, complain, protest.^[3][1]

Word family

• indignābundus
• indignāns
• indignātiō
• indignātiuncula

Related words

• indignus
• dignus
• stomachor

Usage notes

Döderlein says that aegrē or graviter ferre and suscēnseō are silent displeasure, while īrāscor, indignārī and stomachor are loud.^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University 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 Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper