Etymologically
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laedo

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈɫae̯.doː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈlɛː.do][1]

Forms

laedō (present infinitive laedere, perfect active laesī, supine laesum); third conjugation[1]

Etymology

Its origin is uncertain.[2][3][4] Pokorny connected Greek and Baltic words, but de Vaan finds the link with Ancient Greek λίστρον (lístron, “spade”) very uncertain and the Baltic words better explained otherwise, so that no certain cognates remain.[2] The TLL mentions a connection with lassus “tired”.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus, where thongs “hurt the arms”.[2][3] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to injure, damage or hurt, of the body or of things, as Cato warns against damaging roots when hoeing.[3] It then meant to cause pain or annoyance, to offend, as Terence's “never to offend anyone's face”, to harm a person's interests, as Cicero boasts that he defended many and injured nobody, and to lash someone with words.[3] It was also to break a promise, an agreement or one's duty.[3]

Its compounds include collīdō “to strike together” and ēlīdō “to strike out”.[1] laesiō “an injury” gave English lesion in the early 15th century, and collīdere gave English collide in the 1620s.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus speaks of thongs hurting the arms.[3][5]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato warns against damaging roots.[3][5]
  • early 15th century – English lesion is recorded.[6]
  • 1620s – English collide is recorded.[6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To injure, hurt, damage.[3]
  2. To offend, annoy, vex.[3]
  3. To harm the interests of, wrong.[3]
  4. To attack with words.[3]
  5. To break (a promise, an agreement).[3]

Word family

  • allīdō
  • collīdō
  • dīlīdō
  • ēlīdō
  • illīdō
  • interlīdō
  • laesiō
  • laesūra
  • oblīdō
  • relīdō
  • sublido
  • laesus
  • English lesion
  • English collide

Usage notes

Döderlein distinguishes laedere, physical hurt to anything that can be damaged, from violāre, an injury to someone's rights, and offendere, an injury to feelings.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper