Etymologically
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madeo

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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
  • 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