lascivio
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Pronunciation
Forms
lascīviō (present infinitive lascīvīre, perfect active lascīviī, supine lascīvītum); fourth conjugation, no passive[1]
Etymology
It is from Latin lascīvus (“playful, wanton”) + -iō.[2][1][3]
Earliest recorded meaning
Lucilius uses it of a herd frisking.[2]
Semantic evolution
It is to frisk, frolic or gambol, of animals, and then to indulge in play or levity, as Seneca's kings sporting at sea.[2] It is also to act without restraint, run riot: Cicero says one may run riot as long as one fears nothing, and Livy has Appius Claudius say the plebs was wanton rather than savage.[2][3] Manilius uses it in erotic contexts, and Quintilian of a style that runs riot, as he warns a narrative should not.[2] Lewis & Short find it infrequent before the Augustan period.[3]
Timeline
- c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius of a frisking herd.[2]
- 81–43 BC – Cicero of running riot.[2][3]
- 59 BC–17 AD – Livy of a wanton plebs.[3]
- c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian of style.[2]
Meanings
Verb
- To frisk, frolic, gambol.[2][3][1]
- To sport, indulge in levity.[2][3]
- To run riot, be unrestrained or wanton; of style, to indulge in licence.[2][3][1]
Word family
- lascīvībundus