pango

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈpaŋ.ɡoː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈpaŋ.ɡo]^[1]

Forms

pangō (present infinitive pangere, perfect active pepigī or pānxī or pēgī, supine pānctum or pā̆ctum); third conjugation^[1] Beside the perfect pepigī there are pēgī (Pacuvius, Cicero) and panxī (Ennius, Columella).^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *pang- (“to attach”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂-n-ǵ- (“to attach, fasten”), a nasal present of the root *peh₂ǵ- (“to fasten”).^[3][1] Nouns from the full grade *pāg- include pāgus “district”, pāgina “page” and pālus “stake”.^[3]

Cognate with Ancient Greek πήγνυμι (pḗgnumi, “to fix, fasten”) and Sanskrit पज्र (pajrá-, “firm, solid”).^[3][2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Naevius onwards.^[3][4] In Pacuvius a character says, “I drove a stake into the shore”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It meant to fix by driving in, as the nail that the chief magistrate drove in on the Ides of September in Livy, and to plant, as in Varro and Columella.^[2]

From fixing came settling by agreement: to conclude a pact or marriage, as in Catullus, to stipulate for something, as Plautus' slave “whom I bargained for”, and to undertake to give.^[2] It also meant to compose verse, as Cicero asks a friend whether he is writing “something Sophoclean”.^[2] English pact comes from its participle pactum, page from pagina, and propagate from propagare.^[5]

Timeline

• 204–169 BC – Ennius uses the perfect panxit.^[2][4]
• 220–130 BC – Pacuvius uses it for driving in a stake.^[2][4]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it for bargaining.^[2][4]
• 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus uses it for marriage contracts.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it for composing poetry.^[2][4]
• early 15th century – English pact is first recorded.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To fix, drive in.^[2][6]
2. To plant.^[2][1]
3. To conclude (a pact, agreement).^[2][1]
4. To stipulate, bargain for.^[2][1]
5. To undertake (to give).^[2]
6. To compose (poetry).^[2][1]

Word family

• dēpangō
• dispangō
• oppangō
• pāctilis
• pāgātim
• pāgina
• pagmentum
• pāgus
• prō̆pāgō
• repangō

Related words

• compāgēs
• pālus
• pignus
• prōpāgēs
• repāgēs
• repāgula
• pāx
• English pact
• English page
• English propagate

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 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 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 f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press