po-

Forms

po- ^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *po,^[2][1] inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂pó, a zero grade of *h₂epó.^[1] De Vaan thinks it probably related to ab,^[2] and Pokorny lists it under the root of Greek ἀπό (apó, “from”).^[3] It is not found as an independent word in Latin.^[2]

Cognate with Lithuanian pa- (a perfective prefix),^[2] Avestan pa-zdayeiti (“drives away”) and Old High German fona (“from”).^[3]

Semantic evolution

It survives only fused into a few verbs: pōnō and its participle ⟨positus⟩ from ⟨*po-sinō⟩, ⟨porceō⟩ “keep off” from ⟨*po-arceō⟩, and probably ⟨poliō⟩ “polish” and ⟨polūbrum⟩ “washbasin”.^[2][3] Leumann took ⟨poliō⟩ instead as a back-formation from the perfect ⟨polīvī⟩.^[2]

Meanings

Prefix

1. off, away: pōnō, from ⟨*po-sinō⟩.^[1][2][3]

Word family

• pōnō
• poliō
• porceō
• polūbrum

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g 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 Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke