Etymologically
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lingo

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈlɪŋ.ɡoː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈliŋ.ɡo][1]

Forms

lingō (present infinitive lingere, perfect active līnxī, supine līnctum); third conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *lingō, from the nasal present Proto-Indo-European *li-n-ǵʰ- (“to lick”) of the root *leyǵʰ-.[2][1] Cognate with Ancient Greek λείχω (leíkhō, “to lick”), Sanskrit लेढि (léḍhi, “licks”), Old Armenian լիզեմ (lizem, “I lick”), Old Irish ligid (“licks”) and English lick.[2][3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus.[2][4] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to lick or lick up, as honey in Plautus, and Catullus also uses it.[4][6] The Vulgate uses it of the dogs that licked Lazarus' sores.[4]

It survives in Romanian linge and in Italian lingere.[1] Its derivatives include ligūriō “to lick, eat daintily” and the compound cunnilingus.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.[2][5]
  • 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus uses it.[4][5]
  • 390–406 AD – the Vulgate uses it of dogs licking Lazarus' sores.[4][5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To lick, lick up.[3]

Word family

  • dēlingō
  • ēlingō
  • ligūriō
  • ligurriō
  • līnctus
  • oblingō
  • cunnilingus
  • English lick

Usage notes

Döderlein distinguishes lingere, licking to taste, from lambere, using the tongue like a hand to touch or take hold of something.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d 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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper