madeo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈma.de.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈmaː.de.o]^[1]

Forms

madeō (present infinitive madēre, perfect active maduī); second conjugation, no supine stem, impersonal in the passive^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *mad-ē-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *mh₂d-eh₁- (“to be wet”), a stative verb.^[2] Cognate with Ancient Greek μαδάω (madáō, “to be moist”) and, if the Indo-Iranian words come from *meh₂d-, with Sanskrit मदति (mádati, “rejoices, gets drunk”) and Avestan mada- (“intoxication”).^[2][3] De Vaan agrees with Schrijver that Old Irish maidid (“breaks”) is unrelated.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus, whose character tells a drunk “you are soaked”.^[2][3] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to be wet or sodden, as Cicero's floors swimming in wine and walls dripping, and of eyes to run with tears.^[3] In comedy it meant to be drunk, and of food to be softened by boiling, so Plautus' cook promises the dish will be done.^[3] By transfer it meant to be steeped in something, as Horace's friend steeped in Socratic dialogues.^[3]

Its derivatives madidus “wet” and madefaciō “to make wet” are from the same stem.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of drunkenness and of cooking.^[3][4]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius has images steeped in art.^[3][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero describes walls dripping with wine.^[3][4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To be wet, sodden, dripping.^[3]
2. (Of the eyes) to run with tears.^[3]
3. To be drunk.^[3]
4. (Of food) to be softened by boiling, be cooked.^[3]
5. To be steeped in, full of.^[3]

Word family

• commadeō
• madefaciō
• madefio
• madidus
• mador
• madēscō
• madēns
• madulsa

Related words

• madidē
• madidō

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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 m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de