Etymologically

intertraho

Etymology and origin of the Latin word intertraho

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Proto-Italic (*traxe/o-)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin traho
Latin intertraho
Latin pertraho
Latin intraho

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ɪnˈtɛr.tra.(ɦ)oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [inˈtɛr.tra.o][1]

Forms

intertrahō (present infinitive intertrahere, perfect active intertrāxī, supine intertractum); third conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin inter- + trahō (“to drag”).[2][1] De Vaan reconstructs ⟨trahō⟩ as Proto-Italic *traxe/o-.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It occurs only in Plautus' Amphitruo, illī animam omnem intertrāxerō “I will take all his breath away”.[4][5] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to draw away, take away, exhaust.[2][4]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.[4][6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To draw away, take away, exhaust.[2][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  4. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
Cite this entry

“Intertraho.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/intertraho. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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