plico

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈplɪ.koː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈpliː.ko]^[1]

Forms

plicō (present infinitive plicāre, perfect active plicuī, supine plicātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is a back-formation from compound verbs in -plicō, such as applicō, complicō, explicō and implicō, which are older than the simple verb.^[2][1] De Vaan takes these as *-plek-ā-, verbs made from compound adjectives, and connects them with plectō “to plait”, inherited from Proto-Italic *plekt-, from Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ- (“to plait, twine”).^[2] Cognate with Ancient Greek πλέκω (plékō, “to plait”).^[3][2] The TLL notes that most scholars explain the i from the compounds, but that the senses of folding and plaiting differ.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates the simple verb from Lucretius, who uses it of bending the joints of the legs; the compounds are found from Plautus.^[2][3] Köbler dates Lucretius 96–55 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to fold, bend or flex, and to twine or coil, as a snake coils itself.^[3] In post-classical prose it was used of folding or rolling up a document.^[6][7]

It survives in Romanian pleca, Italian piegare, French plier and French ployer, and Spanish plegar.^[1] Old French pleir gave English plait, and Latin plicāre lies behind English ply through English apply.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses the compounds applicāre and explicāre.^[2][5]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses the simple verb of bending limbs.^[3][5]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of a snake coiling.^[3][5]
• late 14th century – English plait “to fold” is recorded.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To fold, bend, flex.^[3]
2. To twine, coil.^[3]
3. To roll up (a document).^[7]

Word family

• applicō
• circumplicō
• complex
• complicō
• dēplicō
• displicō
• explicō
• implicō
• interplicō
• perplicātus
• plica
• plicātilis

Related words

• plectō
• supplex
• English ply
• English plait
• English apply
• English complicate
• English explicit

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ 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. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com