nutrio

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈnuː.tri.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈnuː.tri.o]^[1]

Forms

nūtriō (present infinitive nūtrīre, perfect active nūtrīvī or nūtriī, supine nūtrītum); fourth conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *snoutrjō, from Proto-Indo-European *snew-tr-ih₂ (“female nurser”), from a root Proto-Indo-European *snew- (“to suckle”).^[1][2] It is related to nūtrīx “nurse”, and is cognate with Sanskrit प्रस्नौति (prasnauti, “releases liquid”).^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is Catullus, of nourishing plants.^[2] Köbler dates Catullus 81/79–52/50 BC.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant to suckle, as in Virgil, to feed, nourish people or animals, as Ovid's she-wolf, to treat a patient with a diet, of plants and soil to nourish, as in Catullus, and to feed a fire.^[2][4] It meant to bring up a child, rear, as in Virgil, of land to produce crops, as in Horace, and to foster a feeling, as in Propertius.^[2] It also meant to tend the sick, as in Livy, to look after things, and to deal gently with faults.^[2] Virgil has the old imperfect nūtrībat and a deponent form.^[5][2] Döderlein says alō is nourishing for growth, nūtrīre for keeping alive.^[6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to feed, foster, rear, nourish, support.^[7] It survives in Italian nutrire, French nourrir and Spanish nudrir.^[1] Through Old French norriss- it is the source of English nourish about 1300, and English nurse comes through Late Latin *nūtrīcia from nūtrīx.^[8]

Timeline

• 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus uses it of nourishing plants.^[2][3]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of suckling and rearing.^[2][3]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of tending the sick.^[2][3]
• c. 1300 – English nourish is recorded.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To suckle.^[2]
2. To feed, nourish.^[2]
3. To feed (a fire).^[2]
4. To bring up, rear.^[2]
5. (of land) To produce.^[2]
6. To foster, promote.^[2]
7. To tend, treat (the sick); to look after.^[2]

Word family

• annūtriō
• nūtrīciō
• nūtrīcium
• nūtrīcius
• nūtrīcula
• nūtrīmen
• nūtrīmentālis
• nūtrīmentum
• nūtrītius
• nūtrītor
• nūtrītōrius
• nūtrīx

Related words

• alō
• English nourish
• English nurse
• English nutrition

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com