Etymologically
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inscriptio

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Forms

īnscrīptiō f (genitive īnscrīptiōnis); third declension[1] The manuscripts of the Theodosian Code often write -scribt-.[2]

Etymology

It is from Latin īnscrībō (“to write on”) + -tiō.[3][1][2] De Vaan traces scrībō to Proto-Italic *skreif-e/o- (“to carve”) and Proto-Indo-European *skreibʰ-e/o- (“to carve”), comparing Oscan scriftas (“written”) and Umbrian screhto (“written”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLL finds it first in Ennius,[2] whose tragedy asks what inscription will be given when the spoils of a family have been stripped away.[3]

Semantic evolution

It is the act of writing on something or inscribing, and the branding of slaves: Cicero asks whether putting a name on his property is anything but the plundering of his goods.[3][5] It is an inscribed legend or inscription, as on monuments, and the title of a book: Cicero tells Atticus that a fuller title would be Dē officiīs.[3][5] It is also the label worn by a slave put up for sale, which Pliny the Younger uses of a slave's chief skill.[3] In law it is the laying of a charge, an accusation.[3] In Medieval Latin it is a bill of indictment, the address of a letter, a subscription, a deed and a description.[6] English inscription appears in the late 14th century.[7]

Timeline

  • 204–169 BC – Ennius of an inscription for stripped spoils.[3][2][8]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of the title of a book.[3][5][8]
  • late 14th century – English inscription.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A writing on, inscribing; the branding of slaves.[3][5]
  2. An inscription; the title of a book.[3][5][1][9]
  3. A slave's sale label.[3]
  4. (law) An accusation, charge;[3][6] (Medieval Latin) a bill of indictment.[3][6]
  5. (Medieval Latin) The address of a letter; a deed.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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 c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  9. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson