moderor

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈmɔ.dɛ.rɔr]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈmɔː.de.ror]^[1]

Forms

moderor (present infinitive moderārī or moderārier, perfect active moderātus sum); first conjugation, deponent^[1]

Etymology

It is built on the same lost neuter ⟨s⟩-stem as modestus, from Proto-Indo-European *med- (“to measure”), not directly on modus.^[1][2][3] An active ⟨moderō⟩ is also found, and Lucretius has ⟨moderārier⟩.^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of governing, restraining and tempering.^[3] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to direct, guide, as a ship or chariot, and to handle, control, as in Cicero and Ovid.^[3] From Plautus it meant to govern, rule, and of things to be the controlling factor.^[3] It meant to restrain, check, and to make less violent, temper, moderate, as in Plautus.^[3] It also meant to regulate, arrange, as in Pliny.^[3] Lewis and Short give its basic sense as to set a measure, set bounds to a thing.^[4]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to govern, guide, regulate, direct, advise.^[6] Its participle moderātus gave English moderate in the late 14th century, first of weather.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of governing and restraining.^[3][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of guiding.^[3][5]
• late 14th century – English moderate is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To guide, direct; to control.^[3]
2. To govern, rule.^[3]
3. To restrain, check.^[3]
4. To temper, moderate.^[3]
5. To regulate, arrange.^[3]

Word family

• moderābilis
• moderāmen
• moderāmentum
• moderanter
• moderātē
• moderātim
• moderātiō
• moderātor
• moderātus

Related words

• moderātrīx
• modestus
• modus
• English moderate

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com