Etymologically
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polleo

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈpɔl.le.oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈpɔl.le.o][1]

Forms

polleō (present infinitive pollēre); second conjugation, no perfect or supine stems[1]

Etymology

McCone and Rix derive it from *polnē-, Proto-Indo-European *pl̥-n-eh₁-, a stative verb built on the nasal present of the root *pleh₁- “to fill”, so “to be full”, then “to be strong”.[2][1] The same root is in pleō “to fill” and plēnus “full”, and Old Irish do·lin (“overflows”) continues the same nasal present.[2] The OLD calls it doubtful, and Lewis and Short took it from potis and valeō.[3][4] Festus reports an old spelling polet.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Naevius.[2] Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to be strong, powerful, to exert power or influence, as Cicero's wisdom that bids one be powerful and rule, and Caesar's men who were most powerful.[3][6] It also meant to have importance, to carry weight, as Cicero says how much it counts in this city to bow to the times.[3] Of medicines and plants it meant to be effective.[6]

Its compound aequipollēns “of equal power” gave English equipollent, and the OLD and others connect pollex “thumb”, the strong finger.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero speaks of wisdom that bids one be powerful.[3][5]
  • 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of power.[6][5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To be strong, powerful, to have power or influence.[3]
  2. To have importance, carry weight.[3]
  3. (of remedies) To be effective.[6]

Word family

  • antepolleō
  • pollentia
  • pollex
  • praepolleō
  • aequipollēns
  • omnipollens
  • uīnipollens

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. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.