Etymologically
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investigo

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ɪn.wɛsˈtiː.ɡoː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [iɱ.vesˈtiː.ɡo][1]

Forms

investīgō (present infinitive investīgāre, perfect active investīgāvī, supine investīgātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from in- (“into”) and vestīgō “to track”.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citations are from Plautus, of searching out persons and things.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to find by following a trail, track down game, as in Varro and Cicero's dogs with their incredible gift for tracking, to search out persons or things, and figuratively to search into, investigate, as in Plautus and Cicero.[2][5][6] Pacuvius has an old genitive plural investīgandum.[5] Döderlein groups it with scrūtor and indāgō as searching with effort, unlike plain quaerō.[7]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to search out, trace.[8] It survives in Old French envestier.[1] English investigate came about 1500, and English investigation from investīgātiō.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of searching out.[2][4]
  • 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of tracking game.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of tracking dogs and of inquiry.[5][6][4]
  • c. 1500 – English investigate is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To track down (game).[2]
  2. To search out.[2]
  3. To investigate, inquire into.[2]

Word family

  • investīgātor

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. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson