ministro

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [mɪˈnɪs.troː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [miˈnis.tro]^[1]

Forms

ministrō (present infinitive ministrāre, perfect active ministrāvī, supine ministrātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin minister (“servant, attendant”) + -ō.^[2][1] The noun is inherited from Proto-Italic *minosteros, from minus (“less”) and the contrastive suffix *-teros, the counterpart of magister.^[2][1] Compare Oscan minstreis (“lesser (genitive)”).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus uses it of a slave who is to serve his master at a sacrifice.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense was to act as a servant, to attend or wait on someone, and especially to serve food or drink at table.^[2][4] From this it meant to furnish or supply, as Cicero speaks of all the aids of war supplied to the Roman people, and to manage or regulate affairs.^[2]

It was borrowed as Italian ministrare and Spanish ministrar.^[1] Its inherited Italian descendant is minestrare, from which comes minestra.^[1] English minister as a verb meant to perform religious rites in the early 14th century and to serve food or drink by the mid-14th.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of serving at a sacrifice.^[2][3]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of the aids of war supplied to the Roman people.^[2][3]
• early 14th century – English minister “perform religious rites” is recorded.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To serve, attend, wait on.^[2]
2. To serve, hand out (food or drink).^[2][4]
3. To furnish, provide, supply.^[2]
4. To manage, regulate, control.^[2]

Word family

• administrō
• ministrātiō
• ministrātor
• ministrātrix
• praeministrō
• subministrō
• ministrātōrius

Related words

• minister
• ministeriālis
• ministeriārius
• ministerium
• ministrix
• minus
• English minister
• English administer
• English minestrone

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com