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mentio

Etymology and origin of the Latin word mentio

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Livius Andronicus
Ultimate origin
Latin (mēns)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈmɛn.ti.oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈmɛn.t͡si.o][1]

Forms

mentiō f (genitive mentiōnis); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is from a root *men- “to think”, as in mēns “mind” and meminī “to remember”, with the suffix -tiō.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Livius Andronicus, whom he dates 280/260–before 200 BC.[4] The OLD's earliest citations are from Caecilius and Plautus.[2]

Semantic evolution

It meant a reference to a subject, mention, usually with a genitive, as Cicero's mentiō tuī “mention of you” and mentiōnem facere “to make mention”, as in Plautus.[2][5] In Plautus it also meant the broaching of the subject of marriage.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant mention.[6] British Medieval Latin used it of mention, reference.[7] Through Old French mencion it gave English mention about 1300.[8]

Timeline

  • 280/260–before 200 BC – Livius Andronicus has the word.[4]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses mentiōnem facere.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of mention.[5][4]
  • c. 1300 – English mention is recorded.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A mention, reference, mentiōnem facere, to mention.[2]
  2. The broaching of a proposal of marriage.[2]

Usage notes

Late and Medieval Latin had a different mentiō “lie”, from mentior “to lie”, as in Venantius Fortunatus.[4][9] Wiktionary lists Italian menzogna, French mensonge and Romanian minciună among the descendants.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  9. ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
Cite this entry

“Mentio.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/mentio. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·