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introeo

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word introeo

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
c. 250–184 BC, Plautus
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*h₁ey-)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin intro
French entrer
French rentrer
Latin introfero
Latin introeo
Latin introitus

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ɪnˈtro.e.oː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [inˈtrɔː.e.o][1]

Forms

introeō (present infinitive introīre, perfect active introiī or introīvī, supine introitum); irregular conjugation[1] Early Latin also had introdeō.[2]

Etymology

It is from Latin intrō (“inside”) + eō (“to go”), also written separately.[3][1] The verb eō goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- (“to go”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first example in the OLD is Plautus' “there is no time to go in”.[3]

Semantic evolution

It means to go inside or enter, also of things and, in Quintilian, of coming on stage.[3] With a destination understood it is to enter Rome (of a general in triumph) or to appear in court.[3] It is also to invade, as in Cicero, to enter on a position or into a family, and of time to begin.[3] Döderlein distinguishes it from intrāre, which is usually transitive and puts the stress on crossing the threshold, while ⟨introīre⟩ is intransitive and thinks of the space enclosed; inīre is used mostly of entering on something in a figurative sense.[5]

Church Latin glosses it “enter, go in”.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of going inside.[3][7]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato of a thing entering a tube.[3][7]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of invading a city.[3][7]
  • c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian of coming on stage.[3][7]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To go in, enter.[3][2][1]
  2. To enter Rome; to appear in court.[3]
  3. To invade, occupy.[3][1]
  4. To enter on a position or condition; of time, to begin.[3]

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  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. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de

Derived terms

Cite this entry

“Introeo.” Etymologically, 19 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/introeo. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·