praepono

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [prae̯ˈpoː.noː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [preˈpɔː.no]^[1]

Forms

praepōnō (present infinitive praepōnere, perfect active praeposuī or praeposīvī, supine praepositum or praepostum); third conjugation^[1] Plautus has the perfect praeposīvī, and Lucretius the syncopated praeposta.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin prae- + pōnō (“to put, place”).^[2][1] De Vaan reconstructs ⟨pōnō⟩ as Proto-Italic *po-sine/o-.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are Plautus, of preferring, and Cato, of putting in charge.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC and Cato 234–149 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to place in front, prefix, as in Cicero's pauca praepōnam “I will say a few things first”; to lay down in advance, as in Lucretius; to prefer, rate more highly, as in Plautus; and to set over, put in charge of, as in Cato.^[2][6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it means to place before, prefer, entrust with.^[7] It survives as Italian preporre and Spanish preponer.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of preferring.^[2][5]
• 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of putting in charge.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of placing in front.^[2][5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To place in front, prefix.^[2][3]
2. To lay down in advance.^[2]
3. To prefer.^[2][7]
4. To put in charge (of).^[2]

Word family

• praepositiō
• praepositiuus
• praepositura
• praepositus

Related words

• pōnō
• English prepose

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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. ^ 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 d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson