obequito

Forms

obequitō (present infinitive obequitāre, perfect active obequitāvī, supine obequitātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin ob- (“towards, against”) + equitō (“to ride”).^[2][3][1] The verb is made from eques (“horseman”),^[2] which de Vaan derives from equus (“horse”), from Proto-Italic *ekwo- and Proto-Indo-European *h₁eḱ-u- (“horse”).^[4] Cognate with Sanskrit अश्व (áśva-, “horse”) and Ancient Greek ἵππος (híppos, “horse”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler and the TLL find it first in Livy,^[5][3] who uses it of Hannibal riding up to a gate of Rome and surveying the walls.^[3][6]

Semantic evolution

It means to ride up to or ride round, usually in a hostile way, with a dative or used absolutely.^[2][6] Livy uses it of horsemen riding up to the camp and to the gates, and of a column held back by riders harassing it.^[3][7] Valerius Maximus has a Celtiberian riding up most insolently, and Curtius riders circling the walls and an enemy riding about in sight.^[3][6] Quintilian uses it figuratively of an orator who, faced with the windings of law, will not skirmish about.^[3][7]

The TLL notes that the perfect occurs only in the summaries of Livy.^[3] In a friendly sense, Florus uses it of a commander riding along his lines, and Ammianus of riding along the ranks;^[6][3] Ammianus also uses it with an accusative of walls.^[6][3]

Timeline

• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of Hannibal riding up to the gate.^[3][5]
• 1st century AD – Curtius uses it of riders before walls.^[3][5]
• c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses it figuratively of an orator.^[3][5]
• c. 390 AD – Ammianus uses it with an accusative and of riding along ranks.^[6][5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To ride up to (with dative), ride round, especially as an enemy.^[2][6]
2. (figurative) To skirmish about.^[3][7]
3. To ride along (troops) in a friendly way.^[6][3]

Related words

• equitō
• eques
• equus

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b 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 e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
7. ^ a b c Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier