praecello

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [prae̯ˈkɛl.loː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [preˈt͡ʃɛl.lo]^[1]

Forms

praecellō (present infinitive praecellere, perfect active praeculī or praecelluī, supine praecelsum); third conjugation^[1] Plautus has a present praecellet, as if of the second conjugation.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from prae- and a lost verb ⟨*cellō⟩ “to rise”, whose participle is celsus “high”, from Proto-Italic *kelnō, Proto-Indo-European *kelH- (“to rise”), the root of collis and columen.^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD and Lewis & Short cite Plautus' Pseudolus.^[2][3] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to be superior to others, excel, be pre-eminent, and transitively to surpass.^[2][3]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it means to excel, surpass, exceed.^[5] English precel and French préceller are from it.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[2][4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To excel, be pre-eminent.^[2][3]
2. To surpass.^[2][5]

Word family

• praecellentia

Related words

• antecellō
• excellō
• celsus
• excelsus
• praecelsus

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson