intromitto

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ɪn.troːˈmɪt.toː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [in.troˈmit.to]^[1]

Forms

intrōmittō (present infinitive intrōmittere, perfect active intrōmīsī, supine intrōmissum); third conjugation^[1] Also written intrō mittō, and Plautus has the passive infinitive intrōmittier.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from intrō “inwards” and mittō “to send”.^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of letting someone in.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to let in, admit, as in Plautus, and to send or put in, introduce, as in Varro, Caesar, Livy and Tacitus.^[2][5]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to send into, cause to enter.^[6] It survives in Portuguese intrometer and Spanish entrometerse, and English borrowed it as intromit.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[2][4]
• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of putting in.^[2][4]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar uses it.^[5][4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To let in, admit.^[2]
2. To send in, put in, introduce.^[2]

Related words

• mittō
• intrō
• immittō

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson