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investio

Etymology and origin of the Latin word investio

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Ennius
Ultimate origin
Latin (vestis)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ɪnˈwɛs.ti.oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [iɱˈvɛs.ti.o][1]

Forms

investiō (present infinitive investīre, perfect active investīvī, supine investītum); fourth conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from in- “in, on” and vestiō “to clothe”, from vestis “garment”.[2][1][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLL dates it from Ennius, who has scrūpeō investīta saxō “clad in rough rock”.[3][5] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to clothe, cover, deck, adorn, a word Lewis and Short call very rare, and in Maecenas, quoted by Seneca, to surround a hearth.[2][5][7]

Köbler records Medieval Latin use in a source of 1060–1070.[6] It survives in Romanian învești, and Italian investire and Spanish embestir are borrowings.[1][3] English invest came in the late 14th century, “to clothe in the robes of an office”.[4]

Timeline

  • 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of clothing in rock.[3][6]
  • 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca quotes Maecenas using it of surrounding a hearth.[5][6]
  • 1060–1070 – A medieval source uses it.[6]
  • late 14th century – English invest is recorded.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To clothe, cover, adorn; to surround.[2][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ a b c d Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
Cite this entry

“Investio.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/investio. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·