Etymologically
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metuo

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈmɛ.tu.oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈmɛː.tu.o][1]

Forms

metuō (present infinitive metuere, perfect active metuī, supine metūtum); third conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is a verb from metus “fear”, a third-conjugation denominative from a u-stem like statuō.[2][3][1] The origin of metus is unclear: Klingenschmitt connects it with Old Irish moth (“astonishment”), which de Vaan finds semantically attractive but phonetically unexplained.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citations are from Plautus, whose slave fears and cares for his master.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to fear, be afraid of a person or thing, as Terence and Cicero use it, to view a future danger with alarm, apprehend, as Plautus' slaves who fear punishment even when blameless, and absolutely to be afraid.[2][6] The perfect participle metūtum is perhaps found only in Lucretius.[2][7] Döderlein says vereor is awe of what is venerable, while metuō and timeō are fear of danger.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of slaves fearing punishment.[2][5]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence uses it.[2][5]
  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses the participle metūtum.[2][5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To fear, be afraid of.[2]
  2. To apprehend, dread (a future event).[2]
  3. To be afraid.[2]

Word family

  • praemetuō

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  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