insitus

Forms

īnsitus (feminine īnsita, neuter īnsitum); first/second-declension adjective, past participle of īnserō^[1][2]

Etymology

It is the past participle of īnserō (“to sow in, graft”), used as an adjective.^[1][2][3] De Vaan lists ⟨īnserō⟩ “to plant, graft” under serō (“to sow”), from Proto-Italic *si-se/o- (“to sow”) and Proto-Indo-European *si-sh1-e/o- (“to sow”), with the participle Proto-Indo-European *sh1-to-; cognate with Lithuanian sė́ti (“to sow”) and Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌹𐌰𐌽 (saian, “to sow”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Cicero,^[3] who speaks of eloquence that plants new opinions and uproots those implanted, and of hostility rooted in certain peoples.^[1]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense is “grafted, planted in”.^[5] Figuratively it is “implanted, rooted, innate”, of opinions, feelings and qualities: Horace says teaching strengthens the power born in us, and Livy speaks of pride inborn in a character.^[1][6] Tacitus pairs it with adoptīvus, of a member grafted into a family by adoption.^[6] Lucretius uses it for “placed in, fixed in”, as the earth set in the airy parts of the world.^[1]

Timeline

• 96–55 BC – Lucretius of the earth set in the air.^[1][3]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of implanted opinions.^[1][3]
• 65–8 BC – Horace of inborn power.^[1][3]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy of inborn pride.^[1][3]
• 98–115 AD – Tacitus of an adopted son.^[6][3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Grafted, planted in; adopted.^[5][6]
2. Implanted, innate, inborn.^[1][6]
3. Placed in, fixed in.^[1]

Related words

• īnserō
• serō
• īnsitiō

Usage notes

A separate noun īnsitus, -ūs “grafting”, found only in the ablative, occurs once in Pliny the Elder.^[1][7][2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
3. ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
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 e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn