Etymologically
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praecurro

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [prae̯ˈkʊr.roː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [preˈkur.ro][1]

Forms

praecurrō (present infinitive praecurrere, perfect active praecurrī or praecucurrī, supine praecursum); third conjugation[1] The perfect is praecucurrī, also praecurrī in Livy.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin prae- + currō (“to run”).[2][1] De Vaan traces currō to Proto-Italic *korse/o- (“to run”) and Proto-Indo-European *kr̥s-e/o- (“to run”).[4] Cognate with Ancient Greek ἐπίκουρος (epíkouros, “helper”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus,[4] who has “you secretly ran on ahead by another way”.[2]

Semantic evolution

It means to run ahead of others, and with an object to run in front of, as Seneca's Numidian cavalry.[2] It also means to come first or precede, as Seneca's signs that precede an animal's attack, and to anticipate or forestall, as Lucretius' “I am forced to forestall what some imagine”.[2] Inscriptions use it of fate overtaking someone and of dying first.[2] It also means to surpass or take precedence, as Cicero's two orators who were older than Isocrates.[2] Church Latin glosses it “run before, take precedence over”.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of running ahead.[2][4][6]
  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius of forestalling an objection.[2][6]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of being older than someone.[2][6]
  • 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca of cavalry running ahead and of warning signs.[2][6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To run ahead, hurry on before; to run in front of.[2][3][5][1]
  2. To come first, precede.[2][1]
  3. To anticipate, forestall; to die first.[2]
  4. To surpass, outstrip; to take precedence.[2][5][1]

Word family

  • praecursator
  • praecursiō
  • praecursor
  • praecursus

References

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