Etymologically
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medeor

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈmɛ.de.ɔr][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈmɛː.de.or][1]

Forms

medeor (present infinitive medērī); second conjugation, deponent, no perfect or supine stems[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *med-ē-, from Proto-Indo-European *med- (“to measure”).[2][1] De Vaan explains the meaning as a shift from “to measure” through “to judge” to “to be a healer”, the verb perhaps being built on a noun *medos- “judgement”, the source of modus.[2] The OLD links it with meditor.[3]

Cognate with Old Irish midithir (“measures, judges”), Ancient Greek μέδομαι (médomai, “to care for, think of”) and Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (mitan, “to measure”).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Cato onwards.[2][4] Afranius has a character say arquato medeor, “I cure the jaundiced”.[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant to heal or cure, usually with the dative, as when Cicero says a doctor must know not only the illness of the patient he wants to cure but his habits in health.[3] Pliny uses it for treating wounds.[5]

Figuratively it meant to remedy or relieve, as Cicero's plea to the jury to “heal the religious scruples of our allies”, and to make good a shortage of grain.[3] From it came medicus “doctor”, medicīna and remedium.[2] English medicine and remedy came through Old French about 1200.[6]

Timeline

  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses it.[2][4]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses its derivatives medicus and medicina.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it for healing and for remedying.[3][4]
  • c. 1200 – English medicine and remedy are first recorded.[6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (with dative) To heal, cure, treat.[3][7]
  2. To remedy, relieve, put right.[3][1]

Word family

  • medicus
  • medēla
  • medibilis
  • remedium
  • medella
  • medica
  • medicābilis
  • medicābulum
  • medicāmen
  • medicāmentārius
  • medicāmentōsus

Usage notes

Döderlein distinguishes mederi, healing as the doctor's act of care and skill, from sanare, the cure as the effect of the treatment.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g 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 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
  5. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper