interscindo

Forms

interscindō (present infinitive interscindere, perfect active interscidī, supine interscissum); third conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin inter- (“between”) + scindō (“to cut, tear”).^[2][3] De Vaan derives the simple verb from Proto-Italic *ski-n-d-e/o- and Proto-Indo-European *ski-n-d- (“to split, tear off”).^[4] The TLL notes that manuscripts confuse it with intercīdō² (“to cut through”).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Cicero is the first to use it:^[5][2] in the De legibus he mentions Cocles standing alone on the bridge, ut … pontem interscindi iuberet, “so that he might order the bridge to be cut down”.^[5][2]

Semantic evolution

Caesar uses it of breaking down a bridge and of cutting through a siege mound,^[5][6] and Tacitus of opening the veins of the arms.^[5][7] Figuratively it is to separate: Livy says Chalcis is cut off by a narrow strait, and Seneca that an island is separated from Italy by a strait.^[5] Seneca also says that the joy of those not yet perfect is interrupted,^[5][8] and Ammianus uses it of a river dividing regions.^[7]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of cutting down a bridge.^[5][2][9]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar uses it of bridges and siege works.^[5][6][9]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of a strait separating Chalcis.^[5][9]
• 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca uses it of interrupted joy.^[5][8][9]
• c. 390 AD – Ammianus uses it of a river dividing regions.^[7][9]

Meanings

Verb

1. To cut through, sever, break down (a bridge, a mound); to open (veins).^[5][6][7]
2. To cut short, interrupt.^[5][8]
3. To separate, divide, cut off.^[5][7]

Related words

• scindō
• intercīdō²
• rescindō

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier
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 f g h i j k l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
8. ^ a b c Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
9. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de