pensio

Forms

pēnsiō f (genitive pēnsiōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from pendō “to weigh out, pay” with the suffix -tiō, literally “a weighing out”.^[2][1][3] Varro connects it with weighing out bronze money.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Varro, of a payment.^[2] Köbler dates Varro 116–27 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant a weighing, a weight, only in Vitruvius, and a payment, especially an instalment, as Cicero's prīma pēnsiō “the first instalment”.^[2][3][6] In Martial it meant rent, and in Petronius compensation.^[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant payment, pension.^[7] Medieval Latin used it of interest, a tax and any tribute.^[8] English pension came in the late 14th century through Old French, first as payment for services or a regular annual payment.^[9] It survives in Italian pigione.^[1]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of payment.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses prīma pēnsiō.^[6][5]
• 40–102/103 AD – Martial uses it of rent.^[2][5]
• late 14th century – English pension is recorded.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. A weighing; a weight.^[2]
2. A payment, instalment.^[2]
3. Rent.^[2]
4. Compensation.^[2]
5. (Medieval Latin) Interest; a tax.^[8]

Word family

• pensiuncula

Related words

• pendō
• pēnsum
• English pension

References

1. ^ a b c 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 Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com