olfacio

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ɔɫˈfa.ki.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [olˈfaː.t͡ʃi.o]^[1]

Forms

olfaciō (present infinitive olfacere, perfect active olfēcī, supine olfactum); third (-iō variant) conjugation, suppletive^[1] The uncontracted olefaciō occurs in Pliny and the Tironian notes.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is a syncopated form of ⟨olefaciō⟩, from oleō “to smell” and faciō “to make”.^[2][1][4] De Vaan traces ⟨faciō⟩ to Proto-Italic *fak-i-, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁-k- (“to make”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is Plautus, “to smell”.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to detect by smell, smell, scent, as in Plautus and Cicero, figuratively to scent out, and in Celsus to sniff at something.^[2][4]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it means to smell.^[7] It survives as Italian olfare.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[2][6]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.^[4][6]
• 14–37 AD – Celsus uses it of sniffing.^[2][6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To smell, scent.^[2][3]
2. To sniff at.^[2]

Word family

• olfactō
• olfactus
• subolfaciō
• olfactōria
• olfactōrium
• olfactrix

Related words

• faciō
• oleō
• odor

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ 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. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson