infitior

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ĩːˈfɪ.ti.ɔr]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [iɱˈfit.t͡si.or]^[1]

Forms

īnfitior (present infinitive īnfitiārī, perfect active īnfitiātus sum); first conjugation, deponent^[1] Sometimes written īnficior.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from ⟨*īnfitiae⟩ “denial”, seen in īnfitiās ⟨īre⟩ “to deny”, with -or, from in- (“not”) and the root of fateor “to admit”.^[2][1][4] De Vaan has ⟨īnfitiās īre⟩ from Plautus among the derivatives of ⟨fateor⟩, which he traces to Proto-Indo-European *bʰh₂-to- (“spoken”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is Plautus, “to deny”.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to refuse to admit as true, deny, as in Plautus and Cicero; and in Cicero to disclaim knowledge of or responsibility for, disown, repudiate; poets use it with a dative for to withhold, deny to.^[2][3][4]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[2][6]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of denying and disowning.^[2][6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To deny, contradict.^[2][3]
2. To disown, repudiate.^[2]
3. To withhold.^[2]

Word family

• infitiae
• īnfitiātiō
• infitiātor
• infitiatrix

Related words

• īnfitiās
• fateor
• cōnfiteor

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. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de