obsecro

Forms

obsecrō (present infinitive obsecrāre, perfect active obsecrāvī, supine obsecrātum); first conjugation^[1] It is also spelled opsecrō, Festus quotes the old split form ob vōs sacrō for vōs obsecrō.^[2][3] A deponent obsecror is also found.^[4]

Etymology

It is from Latin ob- + sacrō (“to make sacred, consecrate”), like exsecror: “to ask on religious grounds”.^[2][4][3][1] De Vaan lists it among the derivatives of sacer (“sacred”), from Proto-Italic *sakro- and Proto-Indo-European *sh₂k-ro- (“sacred”).^[5] Paulus' epitome of Festus explains it as seeking help from the sacred things.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Livius Andronicus.^[5] Plautus has adversum quam eius mē obsecrāvisset pater, “against what his father had begged me”.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

Obsecrō is to beseech, implore, entreat a person or for a thing, fidem obsecrāre, to beg for protection (Plautus: dī, obsecrō vostram fidem!).^[2][3] Above all it is used in passing in comedy and letters, obsecrō or tē obsecrō, “I beg you, please, pray”, with questions and requests, and as an exclamation of surprise or exasperation, “for heaven's sake”.^[2][1]

Church Latin glosses it “beseech, implore, entreat”.^[7]

Timeline

• 280/260–before 200 BC – Livius Andronicus uses it.^[5][6]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: dī, obsecrō vostram fidem!.^[2][6]
• 190–159 BC – Terence: nē mē obsecrā.^[2][6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To beseech, implore, entreat.^[2][3][1][7]
2. fidem obsecrāre, to beg for protection.^[2]

Interjection

1. I beg you, please, pray.^[2][1]
2. For heaven's sake!^[1]

Word family

• exobsecrō
• obsecrātiō

Related words

• sīs
• sōdēs
• sultis
• sacer
• sacrō
• exsecror

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson