pactio

Forms

pactiō f (genitive pactiōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from pacīscor (“to agree, bargain”) with the suffix -tiō.^[2][1] De Vaan treats the verb with pāx (“peace”), from Proto-Italic *pak-e/o- (“to make an agreement”) and Proto-Indo-European *ph₂ḱ- (“to make an agreement”), beside the noun *peh₂ḱ- (“agreement”).^[3] Cognate with Umbrian pase (“peace”), Sanskrit पाश (pā́śa-, “snare, noose”) and Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽 (fāhan, “to catch”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler gives Plautus as its first author,^[4] who has it of a marriage settlement in the Aulularia: “now he wants, I know, to come to terms with me”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It is an agreement or compact, in Cicero beside law, custom and judgement, and the Digest defines it as the agreement of two or more on one matter.^[2][5] With a genitive it is an agreement to pay or give something for an expected advantage, a corrupt bargain, as Cicero's consuls bought by a bargain over provinces.^[2][5][1] In particular contexts it is terms agreed between belligerents, a truce, a marriage settlement, as in Plautus, and a settlement of a lawsuit.^[2][1]

Church Latin glosses it “bargain, contract, agreement, covenant”.^[6] In medieval Latin it is also a treaty document and a lease,^[7] and Köbler finds it in the capitularies, formulae and law codes.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of a marriage settlement.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of agreements, truces and corrupt bargains.^[2][4]
• 533 AD – The Digest defines it.^[5][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. An agreement, compact, covenant, bargain.^[2][5][1][6]
2. A corrupt bargain, underhand agreement.^[2][5][1]
3. Terms between belligerents, a truce; a marriage settlement; a settlement of a lawsuit.^[2][1]
4. (Medieval Latin) A treaty document; a lease.^[7]

Word family

• pactiuncula

Related words

• pacīscor
• pacō
• pactīcius
• pactor
• pactum
• pāx
• English pact

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill