plango

Pronunciation

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

Forms

plangō (present infinitive plangere, perfect active plānxī, supine plānctum); third conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *plāngō (“to hit”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₂-n-g- (“to hit”), a nasal present of the root also in plāga “blow”.^[2][1] Cognate with Ancient Greek πλάζω (plázō, “to drive off course”), Ancient Greek πλήσσω (plḗssō, “to strike”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍆𐌻𐍉𐌺𐌿𐌽 (faiflokun, “they beat”) and Lithuanian plakù (“I beat”).^[2][3][4] De Vaan explains “mourn” from “hit”, through beating one's breast.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Lucretius, who writes of waves beating against rocks.^[2][4] Köbler dates Lucretius 96–55 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to beat or strike with a noise, as women beat drums in Catullus, and to beat the breast or head in mourning.^[3] From this it came to mean to mourn for or bewail the dead, as the people of Memphis mourn the bull Apis in Tibullus.^[3]

Its noun plānctus gave Old French plainte and English plaint about 1200, and plaintiff and English complain also go back to it.^[6] The verb survives in Italian piangere (“to weep”), French plaindre and Romanian plânge.^[1] Its participle gave English plangent in 1822.^[6]

Timeline

• 96–55 BC – Lucretius speaks of waves beating rocks.^[4][5]
• 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus has women beating drums.^[3][5]
• c. 1200 – English plaint is recorded.^[6]
• 1822 – English plangent is recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To beat, strike (with a noise).^[3]
2. To beat (the breast) in mourning.^[3]
3. To mourn for, bewail.^[3]

Word family

• dēplangō
• plānctus
• plangor
• plāga
• plāgiger

Related words

• plēctō
• English plaint
• English plangent
• English complain

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com