Etymologically
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instruo

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈĩː.stru.oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈin.stru.o][1]

Forms

īnstruō (present infinitive īnstruere, perfect active īnstrūxī, supine īnstrūctum); third conjugation, third person-only in the passive[1]

Etymology

It is from in- and struō “to pile up, arrange, build”.[2][1][3] Plautus has the shortened perfect ⟨instrūxtī⟩ for ⟨instrūxistī⟩.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Ennius, of equipping, and Plautus, of drawing up troops and of arranging.[2] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC and Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

Its literal sense was to build in, insert, as Caesar's beams set into a wall, then to build, construct, as in Nepos.[4][6][2] It meant to draw up troops in battle order, to arrange, organize, plan, and to get ready, prepare, all from Plautus onwards.[2] It meant to equip, furnish a house or farm, fit out a ship, as in Caesar, provide someone with resources or arms, and in Cicero and later to equip with knowledge or skill, instruct, and to give directions.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to draw up, arrange, instruct, teach, prepare.[7] English instruct came in the early 15th century from its participle īnstrūctus, and English instrument comes from its derivative īnstrūmentum.[8][1]

Timeline

  • 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of equipping.[2][5]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of drawing up and arranging.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of instructing.[2][5]
  • early 15th century – English instruct is recorded.[8]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To build in, insert; to build, construct.[4][2]
  2. To draw up troops in battle order.[2]
  3. To arrange, organize; to prepare.[2]
  4. To equip, furnish, fit out.[2]
  5. To provide with necessaries or arms.[2]
  6. To instruct, teach; to give directions.[2]

Word family

  • īnstrūctiō
  • īnstrūctor
  • īnstrūctūra
  • instructus
  • īnstrūmentum
  • superinstruō
  • īnstrūctē

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com